After the Wedding that Wasn't
by ynnej2198
Summary: Now that Patrick has chosen Robin, what will become of the trio? Join Patrick and Sabrina as they navigate a new world. Story includes secondary characters and introduces Nathan West into the fold in a prominent role in Sabrina's life. Author Note 3/20/14: Chapter 25 is not the last chapter. I am taking a break while I update Sliding Doors. This story will continue!
1. Chapter 1

It had been a week since Patrick broke up with Sabrina and he hadn't been to the hospital since. Once he'd resolved to be with Robin, he decided to clear his schedule until the New Year to spend time with his family. Aside from a few lunches at Kelly's with Robin, who'd been dying for a BLT, and some family outings with Emma, Patrick hadn't left the house. So far, everything was going quite well. He still couldn't get used to having Robin beside him in bed when he woke up in the morning or sitting across from him at breakfast reading the paper. He had forgotten the small things he never really knew he missed, like the sound of her chewing on her pen as she worked on the daily crossword puzzle or stirring her jam before smothering her toast with it. Emma was having a blast spending time with her mother, who never seemed to have difficulty braiding her hair the way he did, but there were a few awkward moments where Sabrina's name came up and cut into the family reverie. The first time was on Christmas morning as Emma was opening presents. Robin, just being back, had gotten Emma a stuffed koala bear she already had and, though Emma thanked her, he could tell that Robin was disappointed. As he tried to comfort Robin, Emma picked up a present he had brought home from Sabrina's apartment the night before and tore into it. The present from Sabrina was exactly what she wanted – a complete Dyna Girl adventure set. Upon seeing it, Emma jumped with joy and excitement, remembering all the fun she and Sabrina had on Halloween when they went to the GH party as Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, superhero duo extraordinaire. Emma, always thoughtful, bounded over to him and Robin to ask to go to Sabrina's to thank her for the present. Patrick, who had promised to give Sabrina time, attempted to discourage her just as Robin interjected with an affirmative. Patrick knew Robin was just trying to make up for lost time, but, if he was honest with himself, he was a little annoyed that she had interjected to overrule him. The second moment was on New Year 's Eve after a tense conversation about the future. After a visit from Sam and Danny, Patrick realized that he really wants another child; but, Robin, still getting acclimated to being back, asked him for more time to get used to being a family again before adding to it and instead proposed they renew their vows. Admittedly a little disappointed about the baby, but understanding of Robin's position, Patrick readily agreed to a quiet renewal ceremony with just the three of them. So happy to have his family intact again, Patrick and Robin were discussing their plans as Emma bounded out of her room holding a can of cola and noisemakers while wearing giant 2014 glasses. Patrick was thrown for a second, remembering his and Sabrina's "almost kiss", as Emma prattled on about how she and Sabrina had so much fun last New Year's eve and vowed to make it to midnight this year, but quickly shook off his momentary melancholy. He and Robin managed to distract Emma from Sabrina with talk of the renewal, which they did in the living room that night.

It was now a new year and Patrick was embarking on a new and improved life with Robin and Emma, which he never thought he would have the chance to do again. However, as he began to resume his duties at the hospital, thoughts of Sabrina began to cloud his mind. How was she? Was she lonely over the holidays? Did she call Felix back to comfort her? Was she back at work too? He had to admit that he was more than a little curious about her. It had been a week since New Year's and he still hadn't seen her at work. He casually asked Elizabeth about her yesterday and she said that Sabrina has been working the graveyard shift since Christmas, but that she asked for a medical leave shortly after the first of the year. Patrick couldn't help but wonder what was wrong, but Elizabeth gave him "the look" when he tried to push and changed the subject, peppering him with questions about life with Robin. Reluctantly, he got the hint and he and Elizabeth discussed their holidays, resolving to put Sabrina out of his mind.

Patrick and Robin, having just dropped Emma off at daycare, exited the elevator at GH. It was Robin's first day back at work since the accident and he could tell she was nervous about resuming life as normal. They had briefly discussed what she went through; though he was sure she held a lot of it back in an effort to spare his feelings. Admittedly, he felt guilty moving on while she was stuck in hell; but, in his defense, he thought she was dead. On some level, Patrick believed Robin resented the new life he built in her absence, despite her pleas to the contrary. He knew she felt like a stranger with Emma, who continued to talk about all the things she and Sabrina would do, which only exacerbated the situation. Emma asked about Sabrina every day and it was getting harder and harder to put her off. She didn't understand why Sabrina wasn't around anymore and Patrick was running out of excuses as Robin began running out of patience. Last night, Robin finally snapped and told Patrick to call Sabrina and ask her to see Emma so Emma would stop whining over missing her; however, when Patrick called, Sabrina didn't answer or return his voicemail. He knew no matter what went down between them that Sabrina wouldn't ignore a request from Emma, so he grew concerned over the seriousness of her medical leave and decided to talk to Felix, who was currently giving him and Robin the evil eye from the nurse's station.

Patrick kissed Robin goodbye for the day and walked toward the nurse's station, as Felix conveniently got absorbed in his filing. "Felix," he said.

"Dr. Drake, what can I do for you?" Felix replied coldly.

"Look Felix, I know you're probably still angry at me for hurting Sabrina and you have every right to be, but I need to ask you for a favor."

"What?"

"I called Sabrina last night, but she hasn't gotten back to me," Patrick said as he stepped up into the station and turned toward Felix. " Emma has been asking about her and wants to see her. I've been trying to put her off, but it's not working anymore, and I need to know if Sabrina will see her. I know she is out on medical leave, so I was wondering if you could convince her to call me when you see her. For Emma."

"Fine. I'll ask her to call you if she is up to it," Felix said turned to walk away. Patrick stopped Felix, asking "What do you mean 'if she's up to it'? What's wrong? Is it serious?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"Patrick, I'm going to be honest with you. Although Sabrina may have let you off the hook for crushing her heart, I haven't. When you chose Robin, you lost the right to get any information on Sabrina from me, so don't ask. I'll tell her to call you." Felix stated, as he pulled out of his grasp and walked away.

Patrick expected Felix to be a little distant, sure, but he hadn't counted on him being outright cold. Then again, once Robin came back, Sabrina switched to the graveyard shift, which he thought was probably to avoid the pitying stares of her co-workers. Everyone knew and loved Dr. Scorpio-Drake and those who had witnessed their love story knew that Sabrina was doomed the moment Robin appeared in the church. A few of the newer nurses, mainly those Sabrina had graduated with last March, were on her "side". He and Robin had received a few scathing looks, but most of the veteran staff were overjoyed at Robin's return. Patrick admitted to himself that he never really thought about what life at the hospital would be like for Sabrina in the wake of Robin's resurrection. Maybe it was good that she was taking some time off, he thought as he started his rounds, even though he couldn't figure out what was wrong with her since she had rarely been sick in the eight months they dated.

Pinned to the couch in her and Felix's living room, Sabrina would have laughed at the irony, if laughing didn't make her want to puke. She couldn't do anything without wanting to puke these days, not even sit up, so she guessed it was a good thing Carlos got shot when he did. Carlos had shown up at her doorstep on Christmas Eve right after Patrick dumped her, bleeding out from a gunshot wound. She removed the bullet and patched him up despite her devastation, as she was a nurse first. On Christmas morning, she woke up and checked on Carlos, who was still sleeping in Felix's room. She hadn't felt like getting out of bed, but she knew her life couldn't stop just because she got dumped. Until she found Patrick's watch on her coffee table, that is. It only served as a reminder of everything she lost. Deep down she knew that Patrick would always love Robin more, but she stupidly took Patrick's word when he said he was ready to move on and buried her misgivings when Carlos swore Robin wasn't dead. She had been "thisclose" to having everything she ever dreamed of and it all went to hell. Sabrina knew she should have walked away after the non-wedding instead of acquiescing to Patrick's request for time, but she foolishly held out hope for her fairytale ending and now she had nothing to show for it.

Surprisingly, Carlos was understanding of her feelings and provided support in Felix's absence while she grieved her lost love. She fully expected him to say "I told you so" but he never did. She believed him when he told her he got no joy out of seeing her hurt and so, after admitting to being in a shootout with Sonny and Julian and begging her not to call the police, they fell into a comfortable companionship. When he wasn't sleeping, he cooked for her and they talked about old times in Puerto Rico, about her relationship with Emma and about their lives since then. Carlos wasn't in any shape to make a move on her, so she let her guard down and was starting to see the man she loved buried within him again. Despite her being tired, which was probably from her working the graveyard shift at the hospital to avoid Patrick and Robin, things were going OK. Then Felix came home earlier than expected.

When he got home, thankfully without Taylor, she admitted to him that Patrick dumped her on Christmas Eve. Despite her efforts to be understanding of the position Patrick was in, it was nice to have Felix put a voice to some of her innermost raging thoughts while comforting her. As Felix went to get situated, he found Carlos in his bed and was less than thrilled. Explaining that Carlos was hiding from Sonny Corinthos didn't help matters, and Felix went off the deep end, worried that Sonny would find out Carlos was there and kill them for helping him. However, Fe's tantrum was the least of her worries, as she couldn't seem to kick her bouts of nausea and ended up spending more quality time with the porcelain throne than she would have liked.

Greener than the Grinch who stole Christmas, she came back out to an apologetic Felix. He said he didn't mean to make her throw up, but, as she explained she'd been feeling this way for a while, Felix asked her if she could be pregnant. A pregnancy was the last thing she needed now that Patrick chose Robin and, when the test came back positive, she completely freaked out. The last thing she ever wanted was to be Britch and now she was. Sure, she knew she didn't get pregnant on purpose and was certain the baby was Patrick's, but she couldn't help feeling like an interloper who would crash Patrick's new life and saddle him with a kid he didn't want. After a great deal of convincing, Felix agreed to keep her secret for the time being, as did Carlos, who overheard their conversation. Sabrina knew she couldn't hide the pregnancy forever, but figured she could resume life as normal (or her new normal) until she figured out what to do. As it turns out, Sabrina became more like Britt than she thought. After a particularly horrible bout of nausea, Felix took her to Mercy Hospital where she was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarium or HG, the exact same sickness Britt faked during her pregnancy. Sabrina was forced to take a temporary medical leave from GH, which was probably for the best anyway, as she heard from Felix that Patrick and Robin were back to work. The longer she could avoid them, the better, as far as she was concerned. So, Felix helped her take care of Carlos' wound and when he was at work, Carlos watched over her. She was managing just fine until last night, when she unexpectedly heard from Patrick. As much as she longed to hear his voice, she wasn't above being petty enough to click the "Ignore" button when he called. Sabrina was physically sick so as it is and couldn't imagine he had anything to say she wanted to hear since he was back with Robin. Despite the temptation to delete his voicemail, she knew he wouldn't have called if it wasn't important, so she listed to his voicemail:

_"Um, hi, Sabrina. It's Patrick, but I guess you know that since my number probably came up on your phone. I realize you may not want to talk to me, but I'm calling for Emma. She has been asking about you since Christmas and I'm running out of excuses for her not being able to see you. So, Robin and I were wondering if you would be willing to meet up with Emma sometime soon at Kelly's or GH so she can see you. Please call me when you get this. Ok…Bye."_

Sabrina was shell-shocked. Hearing his voice and thinking about Emma brought all of her emotional pain back to the forefront. She'd been so pre-occupied with dealing with her HG and Carlos that Sabrina had buried her pain in order to get through the day. God, she missed Emma fiercely, but she wasn't ready to deal with interacting with Patrick and Robin. So, she put the phone back on the coffee table, resolved to deal with it later and let sleep overcome her…

"Honey, I'm home!" Felix shouted as he entered the apartment "and I've got ice cream for mama"

"Felix," Sabrina croaked groggily from her couch cacoon, "What time is it?"

"It's 4 pm sleepyhead." Fe said as he patted Brina on the head. "How are you feeling?"

"Still awful, but what else is new? How was work?"

"Fine. Felix clipped as he walked to that kitchen, "How 'bout that ice cream?"

"Fe. What's up? You're acting funny," Sabrina said as she reluctantly sat up. Today wasn't actually that bad. She managed to sit up and eat lunch and play cards with Carlos earlier without having to puke, so that was a plus.

"Bree, I saw Patrick today." Felix said as Brina stared in shock. " He said he called you about Emma and that he needs you to call him back. I told him I would relay the message. He seemed pretty concerned that you are out on medical leave"

"Yeah, I got the message. I just didn't call back." Sabrina couldn't decide what to do. To be honest, she didn't want to see or talk to Patrick right now, but she missed Emma fiercely. But, seeing Emma meant seeing him and she wasn't sure she could a) keep the pregnancy a secret and b) stop wanting to puke long enough to go anywhere.

"OK. Well, I did my job and relayed the message. Now, fill me in on how Carlos is doing? Any chance he will be vacating the premises anytime soon?"

Sabrina giggled at Felix's dislike of Carlos. Fe grudgingly accepted Carlos being around, primarily so that she wouldn't be alone in the apartment while he was at work, but he was eager to evict him. Felix and Carlos acted like Felix and Britt used to. They never saw eye to eye and constantly bickered, but it was amusing to her, so she let them go. As far as she was concerned, Carlos could stay as long as he wanted now that Taylor decided to stay in North Carolina. He made her smile and she was enjoying his company again.

"Fe…let's not get into this. How about we eat that ice cream?" Sabrina said as they huddled on the couch to watch Steel Magnolias.

Robin was at her wits end. All Emma could talk about was Sabrina. All day, every day. Everything she did, Emma compared to what Sabrina did and it was starting to grate on her nerves. Her daughter didn't understand why Sabrina wouldn't see her anymore. Robin knew Sabrina was trying to be selfless by staying out of their lives, but every time Emma mentioned Sabrina, Patrick got a faraway look in his eyes. He tried hard to hide it, but he was as affected by the loss of Sabrina as Emma was, though he wouldn't admit it.

After witnessing that wedding, Robin was concerned that Patrick might choose to stay with Sabrina instead of coming back to her where he belongs. She tried to head things off at the pass by asking Sabrina to let him go. But, Sabrina was, well, Sabrina, and refused to make Patrick's decisions for him. Robin couldn't help but respect that even though she secretly wanted to rip her face off. Why couldn't Sabrina have been like Brit? Robin could have fought Brit on less than fair terms; but, she couldn't fight Sabrina that way. Sabrina was everything Robin ever wanted her family to find if she was actually dead, but she wasn't, so that was a huge problem. She knew Patrick loved Sabrina. She just had to bet that he loved her and their family more.

After an uncomfortable few days, Patrick came home to her. He said all the right words and did all the right things, but Robin knew breaking up with Sabrina took a toll on him. The week between Christmas and New Year's was wonderful, except when Sabrina's name came up. Robin tried not to let it bother her and focus on her family and their renewed closeness. There was an awkward moment when Patrick asked for another baby and she had to put him off. How could he expect her to add to their family when she was still trying to get to know him and Emma again? She knew it was selfish when she said no to him, but considering she spent two years in hell, she figured she deserved a little selfishness. She and Patrick were back at the hospital and, thankfully, Sabrina wasn't. Elizabeth told Patrick that Sabrina was on medical leave and Robin knew he was concerned even though he kept blowing it off as nothing. Last night, Emma asked for Sabrina one too many times and, after Emma went to get ready for bed, Robin snapped. At her wits end, she ordered Patrick to call Sabrina and set up a time to meet. As much as Robin wanted her family away from Sabrina, she wanted to stop hearing her name more. When she came back from tucking Emma in, Patrick told her that he had left a voicemail and was waiting to hear back. He said, sadly, he expected she wouldn't want to talk, but hoped his mention of Emma would get her to call him. All Robin could do now was wait.

The next morning, she and Patrick were saying goodbye when Sabrina's friend Felix spied them from the nurses' station. To be honest, Robin was a little put off by Felix's "death glare" and made a hasty retreat to the lab, where Brad Cooper, Felix's boyfriend, was less than hospitable as well. However, since she got her old job back, she outranked him and he had no choice but to be civil. Most of the staff, as she thought, sided with her and Patrick. Elizabeth told her Sabrina switched to the graveyard shift before her leave because of the pitying glances she got from the veteran staff who knew Robin and Patrick's love story and were on their "side". Robin felt badly for Sabrina, sure, but not badly enough to do much about it. At lunch, Patrick talked about his run-in with Felix and how surprised he was that Felix was being so cold to him.

"Patrick, I can tell something else is bothering you? What is it?"

Startled, Patrick looked up and said, "Sabrina… I just don't understand why she hasn't called back. She loves Emma more than anything, and, despite what happened between us, there is no way she would ignore her. Something must be wrong. I can feel it."

After a brief conversation on the matter, Patrick got up, kissed her goodbye and resumed his rounds. Knowing Patrick would be at the hospital until late that evening; Robin called her mom to pick up Emma from school and decided to run an errand.

Felix had gone out on a date with Brad Cooper. Sabrina still didn't trust him, but she trusted Felix to make his own decisions about his love life, so she wished him well and went to take a shower while Carlos cooked dinner. The ice cream worked wonders because today was the first day in a long time that she was actually hungry. As she showered, she thought she heard a conversation, but assumed it was the TV since Carlos was alone.

"Carlos?" Sabrina asked as she exited her bedroom in her bathrobe, hair in a towel, "What are you watching? Anything good?"

Sabrina stopped dead at the sight before her. Robin was in her living room talking to Carlos, who must have answered the door. Of course, Carlos must've known who Robin was since he ran into her at the lab before the non-wedding. From what Sabrina could tell, he was trying to get Robin to leave, to no avail.

"Robin, um, what are you doing here?" Sabrina asked, perplexed, as she started to feel nauseous. Carlos moved to her side and grabbed her arm to hold her up. She figured he could sense she was ready to toss her cookies – again – and didn't want her to embarrass herself in front of Robin.

"Hi, Sabrina. I'm sorry to bother you, but I came to ask you if you received Patrick's call," said Robin, who couldn't help but notice the familiarity between Carlos and Sabrina. "How are you feeling?" Despite everything, Robin was concerned and Sabrina did not look like herself.

"Ah…fine. Thanks for asking. What brings you by?"

"Look, Sabrina, I know I'm the last person you want to see, but I'm here on Emma's behalf. I know Patrick promised to give you space, but Emma keeps asking for you and we don't know what do anymore," Robin admitted. "We were wondering if you would be available to spend some time with her soon at GH or maybe Kelly's."

"Robin… Look, I love Emma, but this has been difficult for me. I…um…need to think it over." Sabrina managed to get out, right before she was overtaken by severe shortness of breath and dizziness and fainted.

Carlos caught Sabrina and took her to the couch and gently laid her down, favoring his left shoulder. Robin noticed his unease, but went into full-on doctor mode, peppering Carlos with questions. Deep down, Robin knew that if Sabrina was truly sick and in danger, Patrick would want to know.

Robin, a doctor first and foremost, rushed to Sabrina's side to check her vitals and tried to assess her, but Carlos was being less than helpful, seemingly sure she would be fine in a few minutes. However, Robin was not so certain of that and, while Carlos was fretting over Sabrina, called 911 for an ambulance to take her to GH.

Carlos rode in the ambulance to GH with Sabrina while Robin followed in her car. He tried to get Robin to have her taken to Mercy (since they had diagnosed her HG), but she wouldn't hear of it. GH was the best, so that is where Sabrina would go. Carlos was worried because Sabrina still hadn't regained consciousness. Her HG had been pretty horrible, but she had always come out of these spells within a minute or two and been fine. Carlos knew Sabrina didn't want Patrick knowing she was pregnant with his baby, so he resolved to be there for her and do damage control, despite the danger to himself.

Patrick was working in the ER rotation tonight and things had been quiet. Robin left him a message saying that Emma was with Anna and that had an errand to run and that she would see him at home afterward. When he saw Robin rushing into the ER ahead of a patient, he wasn't sure what to make of it since she was off-duty. He watched Robin talking to Epiphany about prepping the room for the patient and, when Pip quickly glanced over at him with a strange, sad look on her face before rushing away, he decided to consult Robin.

"Robin? What's going on?" Patrick looked on as the EMT's entered the doorway.

"Patrick. Hi. Um…I didn't realize you were working the ER rotation tonight."

"Yeah, I'm relieving Dr. Benz for a few hours. What's up?" Patrick asked, curiously, as Robin stared at the patient being brought in. Following her stare, Patrick's heart dropped to the floor when he saw Sabrina on the stretcher. "Robin? Is that Sabrina?" panicked, he asked, " WHAT IS GOING ON?"

Robin turned Patrick to face her and said "It's Sabrina. I went to talk to her about Emma and she fainted. When Carlos and I couldn't wake her up, I decided to bring her here."

"Wait, what?! Carlos was there?!" Patrick asked, panicked and a little angry. Robin couldn't help but notice the look of jealousy on Patrick's face.

Just then, Carlos came in the doorway and followed Dr. Lucas Jones, who was also working the ER that night, to Sabrina's cubicle. He watched Dr. Jones and Epiphany discourage an eager Carlos from entering until they have a chance to examine her. Carlos paced back and forth in front of the room like a caged lion. Breaking free of Robin, Patrick rushed to Carlos to question him about what the hell he was doing with Sabrina just as Epiphany came out of the cubicle to ask Carlos a question about Sabrina's medical history.

"Is there anything I need to know about Nurse Santiago's condition, Mr. Rivera?" Pip asked her no-nonsense way. "If there is, I strongly suggest you get out with it, now, so we can do our jobs."

Carlos, weary and scared for his Querida, sighed "She has Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It's why she has been out on leave" just as Patrick and Robin came up behind him.

A shocked Patrick exclaimed "WHAT?!" as Pip and Robin looked at between him and Carlos expectantly.


	2. Chapter 2

Carlos was frustrated beyond belief. Of all people, he could not believe that he ended up being the one who spilled Sabrina's secret to Patrick. Right after Patrick overheard him talking to the scary head nurse. (Seriously, he worked in the mob, but that woman scared the bejesus out of him), he'd he planned to backtrack and claim to be the father; but, sadly, he realized it would be for naught. Based on what Sabrina had told him of last summer, he was pretty sure Patrick would never accept his word on a one night stand Sabrina denied to his face and would ask for a DNA test. So, Carlos did the only thing he could do for now and tell the truth.

"Yeah, doc, Sabrina is pregnant and you're the father. Congrats on knocking her up and abandoning her."

He had to admit that he got a perverse pleasure seeing all the color drain from the good doctor's face as Patrick put the pieces together.

"What did you say?" Patrick asked

"Are you hard of hearing? Sabrina. Pregnant. Your baby. " Carlos said, carefully enunciating his words and wondering why on earth people trusted this guy to cut into their brains considering his was severely lacking. Since Patrick was still shell-shocked and that scary nurse had gone back in to talk to the doctor about Sabrina, Carlos decided to resume his pacing so that he could figure out how the hell to a) stop Sabrina from killing him when she found out he spilled her secret and b) extricate her from Patrick's clutches now that Patrick had a reason to start sniffing around her again.

Sabrina woke up in the ER. She wasn't sure what happened. One minute she was talking to Robin and the next she was here.

"Ms. Santiago, have you come back to us?" Dr. Jones asked softly, as he continued to examine her. Lucas hadn't been home long, but had heard from his mom, Bobbie, who heard from Noah, all about the wedding that wasn't. He felt pretty bad for Nurse Santiago, as it was a tough situation all around.

"Where am I?" Sabrina asked, confused.

"I'm Dr. Lucas Jones and you are here in the GH emergency room. How are you feeling?"

Shocked, Sabrina sat up and another wave of nausea overcame her. She couldn't be in GH! She had instructed Carlos and Felix to take her to Mercy if anything else happened with her HG. As she fell back on the bed she remembered Robin was there when she fainted and Robin would have overruled Carlos' instructions to take her to Mercy thinking there was no reason for her NOT to go to GH. Sabrina groaned in frustration. It was bad enough that she felt like roadkill, but now she was certain she wouldn't be able to hide her condition from Patrick and Robin any longer.

"Awful doesn't quite cut it, doctor…" Sabrina groaned. "How am I?"

"Well, you have one of the worst cases of HG I've ever seen. I'm going to admit you so that we try to get your symptoms under control so you can get back to your life. I'll be back with the paperwork soon. In the meantime, try to get some rest."

As Sabrina sulked, she knew it was just a matter of time before Patrick and Robin would figure out what was going on, so she decided to get some sleep while she still could.

To say that Patrick was shocked at Carlos' announcement of Sabrina's pregnancy was an understatement. While he and Sabrina had discussed starting a family in vague terms, he never could have expected it to happen like this, considering how careful they were, and under these circumstances. As the news started to sink in, Patrick's emotions went from shock to pure joy to utter sadness in one fell swoop. It was in those moments, as he watched Carlos continue to pace by the entrance to Sabrina's cubicle, that he had a realization that would change the course of his life going forward, just as Emma's birth and Robin's "death" had years before. Memories of his life with Sabrina began flooding into his mind:

- The hurt on Sabrina's face as he told her he "didn't think of her that way" after she had confessed her feelings

- The excitement he felt, for the first time in over a year, when, after he told Sabrina he reciprocated her feelings, she agreed to be his date for the nurses' ball.

- The wave of lust that hit him as he watched her change in the locker room

- The contentment of being wrapped in her arms as they grew intimately closer

- The hopefulness she provided as he mourned yet another loss in Britt's baby

- The jealousy and fear that Carlos would convince Sabrina he wasn't serious about her

- The pain on Sabrina's face as he struggled to lay Robin to rest and live in the present with her

- The elation he felt when Sabrina accepted his "ambush proposal" and they began planning their future as a family with Emma

- The freedom of finally closing the door on his life with Robin as he walked out the lab the day of the wedding

- The breathlessness of seeing Sabrina in her wedding gown walking toward him at the church

- The peace of exchanging vows and committing the rest of his life to her

- The confusion and anxiety as he begged for time to process Robin's return

- The devastation of saying goodbye on Christmas Eve and walking out of her life

The tidal wave of memories were like a kick in the gut so strong that they caused Patrick to double over breathlessly as the love for Sabrina that Patrick had suppressed when he made his decision to stay with Robin surged to the forefront. He knew in that moment that there was no other woman, not even Robin, he'd rather be having a baby with. What the hell was he going to do now?

Robin watched Patrick react to the news of Sabrina's pregnancy. Witnessing Patrick at the wedding pledge to love Sabrina for the rest of his years hit had hit Robin pretty hard, but she believed that her and Patrick's love and history was strong enough to weather anything, even his feelings for Sabrina. However, as he stood there with a faraway look in his eyes for what seemed like an eternity and then doubled over as if in physical pain, she knew in her heart that Patrick was still far more in love with Sabrina than he'd let on. And that scared her to death.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been 24 hours since Patrick learned he was going to be a father and he was still reeling from the news. The first thing he wanted to do when he found out was confront Sabrina on why she had kept it a secret, but it seemed like evey time he tried to see her, someone stopped him. Carlos was like a guard dog pacing in front of her door ready to bit his head off if he went too close. Henever Carlos was gone, his post was taken up by either Felix or Brad, two people also less than thrilled to see him. However, it was Pip who convicned him to give it time. She told him that Sabrina needed to rest right now for the baby's sake and that undue stress would be bad for her. She would still be pregnant tomorrow, so he should go home, absorb the news, and come back when Sabrina was feeling better. Plus, she not so subtly hinted that he might want to discuss his impending fatherhood with his wife in the meantime. The mention of Robin slapped Patrick back to reality. When he regained composure after his "realization" the night before, he happened to glance a Robin and see the look of pain and fear on her face. Seeing Robin unhappy for even a second after the hell she'd been through was awful – and it was even worse because he knew he caused it. Robin and he only talked briefly, as she decided to leave to pick up Emma and take her home.

The scene at the house when Patrick returned was awful. Robin, clearly nervious, peppered him with questions he did not have the answer to. Then, feeling guilty over his realization, he got testy with her. She was like a dog with a bon, though, and he just wanted to be alone to think. He ended up kissing Emma goodnight and coming back to the oncall room. He needed time to sort out his feelings and he was going to get that done with Robin badgering him right now. All she kept worrying about was herself and how this pregnancy would affect her attempts to reclaim her life. She called Sabrina a "complication" and that really annoyed him. He knew Sabrina and she would never have don e this on pupose. The fact that she refused to talk to Emma because Emma would have known she was sick as a dog proved that to him. All he know was that there was no way he could ever reduce Sabrina – or their baby – to a complication.

Sabrina was confused as to why she was being watched like a hawk. If Fe wasn't pestering her, Carlos or Brad – yes, Brad – was guarding her. All she could decduce was that they were either trying to keep her in or someone else out. Since she was still too sick to move, she figured it was the latter and that they were trying to keep Patrick out because he must've figured out he is the father. When Carlos came in next, she cornered him

"Carlos" Sabrina asked. "Yes, Querida, do you need something" he replied.

"Yes, I do," she demanded. "I want the truth as to why the three of you are always here."

When Carlos started to protest, Sabrina cut him off, stating, "You're trying to keep Patrick away, aren't you? He knows, doesn't he?"

"Yes"

"Oooh! I just knew Felix wouldn't be able to keep this a secret. He is so going to get it for this."

When Carlos when pale at her mention of Fe and secrets, Sabrina thought twice and, under her "death glare" Carlos confessed to accidentally spilling her secret to Patrick and Robin. She wanted to be furious with him, but she couldn't Of all people, Carlos would have been the least likely to tell Patrick. So, she let him off the hook with a promise to repay her with a favor of her choice no questions asked. Sabrina told Carlos that she was resigned to talking to Patrick, so they should stop running interference for her.

Patrick was surprised that Sabrina was unguarded when he cam up to see her. She'd been moved to a regular room and when he "happened by" her chart earlier, seemed to be on the mend. He couldn't help but be amused by the irony of Sabrina getting HG and wished that he could move her in with him. When he entered her room, Sabrina was sleeping and he was reminded of how he used to love to lay in bed and watch her sleep for hours.

"Patrick?" Sabrina sighed groggily as she opened her eyes and smiled.

"Hey, beautiful" he whispered before he could catch himself. And, with that slip of the tongue, Patrick saw Sabrina's emotional walls go up.

"What's up?" she asked tersely.

"I think we need to talk." He said as he moved a chair by Sabrina's bed.

So, for the next hour, he sat by her bed and they discussed her pregnancy and what they planned to do now. She said she didn't tell him because she didn't want to mess things up for his family, that she was fin and that Felix and Carlos were taking excellent care of her. She also told him she had interviewed at Mercy and planned to accept the job. In essence, Patrick deduced that Sabrina was determined to deal with this alone as far away from him and Robin as possible. When she told him of her long talk about the baby with Carlos, who, to his chagrin, seemed to be getting in her good graces again, he snapped. Patrick told Sabrina that he did not want that man near her or his child for their safety since he was working for the Jeromes. However, she responded by accusing him of being jealous and said that since he chose Robin her personal life was just that – Personal. She could interact with whomever she chooses and that he didn't have a say. When he tried to argue, Sabrina shut him down, stating that she was starting to remember why she loved Carlos and decided to give him a chance to prove himself if that is what he really wants.

Patrick was speechless for the second time in 24 hours. Hearing Sabrina was poetic over Carlos shook him. It was at that moment Patrick finally got a taste of his own medicine, and boy was it bitter. As she went on and on about Carlos' good qualities from her previous life with him, Patrick died a little inside. He loved her more than anything and all she could do was talk about her rekindled feelings for her ex. Now Patrick knew how hurtful it must have been when he pined for Robin – the ring, the call, the tickets and the kiss at their wedding. Yet Sabrina endured it all, even encouraging him to remember Robin, all while battling her own internal hurt.

Patrick had grown very quiet and Sabrina couldn't figure out why. Sure, she was laying Carlos' role in her life on a little thick, but the truth was that she HAD been starting to remember why she loved him all those years ago. Yes, the man could be an arrogant jerk, but he was also loyal to a fault and tender with her and the baby. She didn't like the tactics he ahd used to undermine her relationship with Patrick, but she believed his motives were sincere and, truthfully, she was flattered by his single-focused attention, which, she can honestly say she never received from Patrick. Carlos had been great to her after the wedding from hell and had worked overtime to care for her since Patrick officially dumped her. Every day they lived under the same roof was one day he managed to chip away at her hurt. Carlos knew she wasn't ready to move on from Patrick and actually respected that while he put her back together piece by piece. It was these thoughts of Carlos that gave her the strength to tell Patrick where to shove his demands. He grudgingly accepted her terms on the condition that she not take the job at Mercy. As hard as it would be for her to see him and Robin all lovey-dovey, she knew he wanted to keep an eye on the baby, so she acquiesced to him – for now.

Robin was furious. Just as she began to reclaim the life that was stolen from her, this complication arises. Dammit! Patrick was her husband and she shouldn't have to fight for his attention and affection. Before the abduction, she had it all. Yes, she told Patrick oto move on, but she honestly didn't think he would. Now that he had, life was so much harder. She had to compete for what belonged to her and it was frustrating as hell. The funny thing is that if she hadn't gone to Sabrina's, Patrick wouldn't have found out right away and she would have had more time to cement their relationship before dealing with this. With him finding out now, though, she couldn't help but feel Patrick slipping away from her. Although her mom had talked to her about Patrick's dilemma, comparing it with her own relationships with Robert and Duke, Robin hadn't taken her words to heart, foolishly thinking that Sabrina couldn't possibly have a strong enough hold over Patrick to contend for his ultimate affections. Now that Sabrina was about to give Patrick the one thing she'd refused to give him just a few days ago, Robin wasn't as sure anymore.

Sabrina was discharged from the hospital on orders to stay on bedrest until her labs improved. She had a heart-to-heart with Carlos where she expressed her gratitude for everything he has done, asked him to continue living with her and Felix and then shocked him by saying she was open to seeing if there was still anything between them. Thankfully, neither Sonny nor the Jeromes had seen him at the hospital, so he was still safe to stay with her. Sonny was busy searching for Carly and Julian was dealing with yet another long-lost child. Felix was non too pleased, but Sabrina put her foot down.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a month since Sabrina was discharged from the hospital and she was due to come back to work today, which Patrick was ridiculously happy about. He'd stopped by a few times while she was on bed rest, but they'd never been alone. Either he had Emma with him or Carlos or Felix were hovering closeby. He and Sabrina decided together to hold off on telling Emma until she was out of her first trimester considering last year's whiplash Emma had over Britt's baby. Patrick knew that Emma would be happy and he didn't want to deal quite yet with Robin's reaction to Emma's happiness. To say Robin wasn't thrilled was an understatement. They had grown distant as he kept an eye on Sabrina. Robin didn't understand why he needed to be so involved and the stress of Sabrina's pregnancy being the worst-kept secret at GH wasn't helping matters. But, Patrick was happy about the baby and he refused to feel guilty for it. Emma loved seeing Sabrina and watching those two interact made Patrick smile, but Carlos' protective bubble was getting to him. Carlos was all too happy to wait on Brina hand and foot when he was there and she seemed to love the attention. All the smiles, jokes , whispers and unspoken communication he used to get were now bestowed on a guy he despised. At least if Sabrina was working at GH again, Carlos wouldn't be able to cling to her like a barnacle.

Patrick smiled when he saw Sabrina get off the elevator. She was looking much better, but he could tell she was still really tired. He started walking over to her, but was stopped by Robin coming in his direction. As the two women approached, he could feel the room hold its breath in anticipation of gossip for a week. Robin reached him first and clung to his arm possessively as she asked Sabrina how she was feeling. Sabrina looked between him and Robin with lifeless eyes, said "Fine" and bid a hasty retreat, claiming to be running late for her shift (which was a terrible excuse since she was, as usual, early). Patrick wanted so badly to go after her, but Robin commanded his attention and reassurance, which had become the norm. He loved Robin and he knew he always would, but lately she was making him jump through hoops to prove it. The more he jumped, the more frustrated he got. He'd forgotten how high maintenance their relationship was. Even though they never lacked for love, they always had to work at keeping things together. Conversely, Patrick's relationship with Sabrina was practically effortless. They just "got" each other. Sometimes he took her for granted, but he felt like they were more on equal footing, supporting of each other but rarely demanding. Patrick sighed. He then turned to Robin and made dinner plans before heading off to his rounds, secretly hoping to run into Sabrina.

Robin hated this. After today's awkward scene that ended with her husband looking like he wanted to run after Sabrina was enough. Tonight they were going to hash it out. Either they were in this together 100% or she would have some tough decisions to make. But, damn, she lost two years of her life and she refused to continue on in this half-life limbo.

Sabrina was physically and mentally spent. Although she felt a little less like road kill, she was still relying on anti-nausea medication to get through her day. As long as she drank a lot of water and at small meals of whatever she managed to crave at the time, she was physically OK. However, this morning's scene showed her how mentally unprepared she was to be back to work with Robin and Patrick. She kenw every time she saw them together, the knife in her heart would cut just a little deeper. Resolving to put her best face forward since she had to live with Patrick's decision, Sabrina agreed to meet Brad and Felix at the Floating Rib for some fun. It had been too long and she was tired of being cooped up in her apartment.

She had just showered and was finishing dressing when she sensed Patrick enter the room. Instantly, Sabrina was transported back in time to their rendezvous at this very spot. She turned around to face him and froze. Staring into Patrick's eyes, Sabrina saw the fire burning as he remembered, too. A thousand emotions passed bewtween them in that split second. She knew she should break eye contact, but she just didn't have the strength.

Patrick came to the locker room after surgery to change for dinner with Robin. Anna was watching Emma so they could go to the Floating Rib and then home, he imagined, to talk, ad nausea about this morning. He had just turned the corner and there was Sabrina – half naked and gorgeous as ever. His mind told him to look away, but his heart wouldn't let him. Remembering their last chance encounter here made his blood boil with lust. At their initial encounter, he remembered thinking how much he wanted her and then fighting himself over Robin's memory. He'd known it should have felt like betrayal to want Sabrina, but it didn't. He loved Robin, but Sabrina was the first woman to rekindle that flame inside him that had burned pretty brightly and widely in the past and he wanted that for himself again. Shortly after that, they'd made love for the first time and it was just as satisfying as he'd imagined it would be. Sabrina had this air of innocence that caused a lot of people to overlook her, but, with him, she was sexy, generous and open and he could never seem to quench his thirst for her and her alone. Before Patrick knew it, he was standing in front of Sabrina and "thisclose" to kissing her senseless.

The sound of a locker slamming shut pulled them both out of their reverie and caused them to jump apart as if struck by lightning. They stood there, staring, for a few more seconds before, once again, Sabrina retreated. Patrick knew he should be the strong one since he was the married one, but he couldn't bring himself to walk away from her. He opened his locker to change and just sat on the bench staring at the picture of him, Sabrina and Emma from the 4th of July and longed for what might have been.


	5. Chapter 5

Sabrina was shaken by her encounter with Patrick. The next several months were going to suck if there were anymore near misses like the on etoday in the locker room. She had to figure out another way to avoid Patrick that didn't involve her going back on the graveyard shift. As she entered the Floating Rib, dressed to kill in skinny jeans (that still fit!), heels and her red cutout top, she resolved to put Dr. Dreamboat out of her mind and have a little fun. She spied Brad and Felix at a table in the corner. As she made her way to them, her mind was preoccupied thinking about how nice Brad actually was when he wasn't a cad. He seemed to be making Felix happy, which was good enough for her. As she made her way to the table, she rammed into someone tall, or, rather, his beer glass, which proceeded to spill all over him. Feeling like a total klutz and rambling an apology in Spanish, she looked up – and promptly lost the ability to breathe.

Detective Nathan West was spending a much needed "guys night" with his partner at the PCPD, Dante Falconeri. This case against Silas Clay was grating on his nerves and Dante was moping over losing Lulu. Even though they'd gotten their baby back from that wackadoodle Dr. Westborne, they couldn't seem to patch up their marriage. He had just gotten another round at the bar when a little ball of fire slammed into his arm, sloshing his fresh beer all over the place. He was startled by her, she was adorable as she started freaking out in Spanish over her chronic clumsiness and starting brushing off his sleeve before she looked up at him. When he met her gaze, Nathan was struck by her classic beauty and expressive yes. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity until Dante slapped him hard on the shoulder with a "YO! Earth to Nathan!" Nathan explained what happened to Dante, who greeted Sabrina (lovely name) and asked how she was. Her answer to that question was suspiously similar to Dante's reply when she asked him the same thing, leading Nathan to deduce that she wasn't nearly as well as she wanted Dante to believe. As she headed over to her friends' table, he couldn't help but be intrigued and he fished for information from Dante about Sabrina.

When Sabrina reached Brad and Felix' table, she was bombarded with questions about her mystery man, who Felix affectionately dubbed Detective McHottie. All Sabrina knew was that he was sure making her HOT, and in a way that Patrick never had. Damn pregnancy hormones. She couldn't take her mind, or her eyes, off of the detective, as she fanned herself with her menu.

Sabrina was shocked when Nathan made his way over to her table. Dante had called it a night and he wondered if she would join him. She hesitated, thinking to turn him down, but then thought better of it. Why not spend some time with a super-HOT guy who she liked? So, she agreed and they made their way to the pool table in the corner, where they played and chatted about everything under the sun, but nothing so consequential as life or her unique "situation".

Patrick and Robin ended up getting to dinner later than they planned. Anna had been delayed by a case and couldn't take Emma as early as they'd hoped. The Floating Rib was surprisingly busy, but they liked it that way. Patrick spied Felix and Brad in the corner, but decided it might be best not to interrupt them, as he was still not their favorite person. After Robin said hello to Mac, they got a table near the bar. Things at home had been tense since they'd learned of Sabrina's pregnancy and he'd realized how much he loved Sabrina, so he hoped a date night would help him refocus on his family. Unfortunately, it was difficult because he was still preoccupied by his run-in with Sabrina earlier. He and Robin were in the middle of their meal when he spied Felix and Brad walking over to the pool tables. When he said hello to them, he got one of Felix's strange looks, which, he knew from experience, meant Fe was hiding something. Patrick pivoted in his chair and followed Fe's path and was dumbstruck by the sight he saw: Sabrina and some guy, presumably on a date. Sabrina was smiling, laughing and, yes, flirting with the mystery man – and Patrick didn't like it one bit.

Sabrina was having a wonderful time with Nathan. Once she let her guard down and resolved to try to get over Patrick, who was happy with Robin and Emma, she threw herself into her impromptu date. Nathan, more drop dead gorgeous than Patrick, made her laugh with his stories of pranks he and other officers pulled on each other at the NYPD. He told her how much he loved being a cop and how he moved here for a case that was frustrating him and she loved listening to him talk with his accent. She told him stories of her chronic clumsiness, how much she loved being a nurse, about her experience with Lucy reviving the Nurse's Ball and how Felix was such a clown. Whenever they touched on personal subjects, they always switched course to something light and fun. With every conversational switch, she and Nathan moved closer to each other and were soon holding holding hands and leaning in close. And she loved it.

Nathan could tell that Sabrina was in pain, but he believed she was having a good time. From his conversation with Dante, he could tell that she wasn't looking for a relationship, but neither was he, so why not have a good time? He really liked her. She was charming, funny, and a really good listener. She offered him advice on how to change his thinking on his case that he thought might actually lead him to a solid angle to work. He was drawn to her in a way he never expected. It was as if there was a pull between them beyond lust, which was certainly there with a vengeance, and he found himself flirting with her. He just really liked her and he thought she liked him too. When her friends came over to the table, they both had strange looks and he couldn't figure out why – until he looked in the direction they came from and spied Dr. Drake giving him and Sabrina the evil eye as his wife gave him the evil eye. Nathan knew that this was going to ruin Sabrina's night and he didn't want that, so he offered to walk her out. While there was no way she could leave without going by the Drake's table, the least he could do is make it less painful for her.

Patrick was livid. Yup, livid. He had thought that the day when he found Carlos with Sabrina in the exam room was his jealousy peak, but he was wrong. This beat that tenfold, especially when he saw Mystery Man helping Sabrina with her coat and sheparding her toward the exit. Was she really going to go home with that guy? She clearly just met him and didn't know anything about him? Patrick saw Sabrina stop in her tracks when she caught sight of him looking at her. Then, he saw her emotional walls go up as she straighted her spine and started walking again.

"Patrick… Robin" Sabrina said quietly, "How are you?"

"Fine… Who's this?" Patrick replied tersely.

"Detective Nathan West, at your service" Nathan responded as he held out his hand for Patrick to shake.

Patrick reluctantly shook it and said "Didn't know you two knew each other…"

"Yeah, funny that, we just met tonight, quite by accident. After Sabrina here ran into my beer, I asked her to join me and the rest is history" Nathan said as he looked down into Sabrina's eyes –which had lost their earlier sparkle. "Sorry to cut this short Dr. Drake, but we really have to get going" Nathan said as he ushered Sabrina to the door.

Leave it to the happy duo to rain on Sabrina's parade. She had been having such a lovely time with Nathan and just like that "POOF" it was gone. She thanked Nathan for the most fun she had in months when he walked her to her car. Gentleman tha he was, he refused to leave his spot until she drove away, so she couldn't sit and mope the way she'd planned. When she got home, she saw Carlos pacing the living room. He told her that Sonny and Julian had gone at it again, so he was going to be leaving because he loved her enough not to put her baby in danger. Sabrina was more distraught over this news than she thought she would be, but she appreciated his honesty and kissed him goodbye. She could tell that he didn't want to leave, but the fact that he did, for her and her baby, showed her how much he has changed from the jerk he used to be. Sabrina's emotions were a rollercoaster so she did what any self-respecting chica would do – called Ben and Jerry for a tete a tete.

Robin was not thrilled with Patrick's reaction to Sabrina's date. However, seeing Sabrina moving on gave her a bit of hope that she and Patrick could work past this. Maybe if Patrick saw that Sabrina was happy, he would let go and re-focus on their life together with Emma. After dinner, she and Patrick returned home and they had their first real discussion on their marriage since her return. She now really realized how much in love Patrick is with Sabrina and told him so. She also told him that she would not be second best to anyone, but is willing to work on their marriage if he is. He told her everything he'd been keeping in since her return, how happy he is to have this baby with Sabrina, how he didn't realize how much he loved her until he lost her and how jealous he was of Detective West. He loves his family, but Sabrina was supposed to be his family and he can't just turn that off and pretend it never happened. With that, Robin and he decided to see Kevin Collins as soon as possible and go from there.

As Sabrina got ready for her shift, she thought about Detective McHottie. He had become her second best friend in the short month they'd known each other. She could talk to him about anything and not have to worry if something she said would plunge him into a state of melancholy like she did with Patrick. When she was with Nathan, she knew she came first. She had his undivided attention all the time. She figured that he knew she was pregnant with Patrick's child, but she felt it was time to talk to him about it. She would be able to hide it forever, after all, and she didn't want there to be any secrets or misunderstandings between them. Last night, over pizza and beer (for him, not her), she told him all about her baby and her strained relationship with Patrick. She told him how she met Patrick, hence the chronic clumsiness, and immediately crushed on him; explained how Patrick dodged her when she told him of her feelings; how Patrick came around and decided he wanted a chance with her; about how Britt's pregnancy brought them together; and, finally, how Robin tore them apart. Through it all, Nathan listened. He reassured her that she wasn't "Britt" in this situation and that, based on the look in Patrick's eyes at the Floating Rib, there were certainly no winners. As he comforted her, they kissed. While she certainly enjoyed herself, she wasn't ready for a relationship and didn't want to lead him on. It was then that he revealed he didn't want a relationship either, but that he liked her and was hoping she liked him too. In the end, Sabrina acted way out of character and decided to a "friends with benefits" arrangement with Nathan. Her two serious relationships only ended in heartbreak anyway, so why not try something different? Her pregnancy hormones were, frankly, making her hot and since the damage was already done, so to speak, why not have a little fun?

Nathan was shocked that Sabrina agreed to a FBW arrangement. He really didn't think that she would after what she'd been through. And, because of that, he decided to keep the FRIENDS part first. Whatever else happened between them would be one hell of a bonus.

Patrick and Robin entered the police station looking for Anna. They'd heard that Viktor Cassadine had pulled some strings and gotten Dr. Obrecht out of prison and wanted some answers.

"Anna, please tell us this is not true?!" Patrick nearly shouted. "That woman held Robin captive for two years and now she is just going to walk away scott-free?"

As Anna tried to calm them down and usher them into the interrogation room, she was stopped by Dante.

"Um, commissioner, that room is occupied right now," he said rather urgently. "Maybe you could use your office?"

"Why, who is in there?" Anna asked. "There isn't anyone on the agenda for today," she said as she checked her phone schedule.

Just as Dante was about to reply, the door opened and Sabrina and Nathan walked out hand-in-hand. Anna, Patrick and Robin gawked as the couple stopped short.

"Detective" Anna asked, giving him the side eye, "What is going on?"

"Oh, nothing, Commissioner." Nathan replied quickly, "We were just having lunch. I couldn't get away with the Clay case, so Sabrina brought me something to eat from Kelly's. I figured you wouldn't mind since the room was open all day."

Anna knew Nathan relatively well now that he'd been working for her for a few months and she knew for a fact from his lack of composure and Sabrina's full-body blush, that "lunch" included a non-edible dessert. She gave Nathan a look that told him in no uncertain terms, that they would discuss this later and turned to Patrick and Robin hoping to convince them to go into her office instead.

At that, Sabrina spoke up, "Anna, it's OK. Really, I was just leaving" With a quick, sad glance at Patrick, she pulled Nathan by the hand toward the door. She wasn't sure what on earth possessed her to do it, but she yanked him in for one helluva kiss that would make it known to everyone in that room just what "lunch" included. After they pulled away for air, they locked eyes with an unspoken communication – Sabrina thanking him for playing along and him telling her how much he looked forward to "dinner" later. While Sabrina wasn't quite so naughty to actually have sex with Nathan in the interrogation room, she was perfectly fine letting Patrick think she did as she sashayed out of the office and to her OB appointment with a giant smile on her face.

When that interrogation room door opened, Patrick had been stunned to see Sabrina and Nathan. He talked to Sabrina nearly every day about the baby, but she always stopped him short when he asked how she was doing personally. He heard from Felix that Carlos had left town the night of her and Nathan's date, but even Felix was surprisingly tight-lipped over Sabrina's personal life, which Patrick assumed was either because 1) she didn't have one and he didn't want Patrick feeling sorry for her or, 2) she did have one and he didn't want Patrick screwing it up. Based off of what he saw when they stopped short of exiting the room, Patrick knew it his gut it was the second option. Sabrina was glowing and it wasn't because of the baby. Both she and Nathan looked as disheveled and heated as he and Sabrina probably did the day they made out in the exam room shortly after they made love for the first time. In his mind, Patrick knew that Sabrina moving on meant that she would eventually sleep with someone else, but in his heart, he was filled with a murderous rage for Nathan at the thought of him seeing Sabrina naked.

Anna watched Robin watch Patrick watch Sabrina and Nathan. Patrick's face transitioned from shock as he spied them exiting the room, to sadness as he shared a quick glance at Sabrina to pure rage as he watched her practically inhale Nathan alive. Anna knew things had been tense between Robin and Patrick since they announced Sabrina's pregnancy; however, she didn't realize things were this bad between them. When Sabrina was in the same room, Patrick all but forgot Robin's existence, which was something she never thought she would see in her lifetime. Anna knew that Patrick finally realized the depth of his love for Sabrina now that he wasn't longing for the ideal life he'd lost. He had back everything he claimed to have wanted, but Anna sensed that he didn't want it anymore. She'd tried to prepare Robin for this eventuality at the church the day of Patrick and Sabrina's non-wedding and at the house on Christmas Eve. Though Robin had expressed concerns about Sabrina's place in Patrick and Emma's lives, Anna believed that Robin wasn't really worried. After all, she and Patrick had seven years of history, a family and true love, so why should she be? Now, though, Anna knew Robin realized she was in for the fight of her life to keep Patrick and that she didn't like it one bit.


	6. Chapter 6

Sabrina was happy for the first time in months. The HG had finally stopped and she was able to resume most of her duties at the hospital without being completely exhausted. She and Nathan had been "hanging out" for about two months. While they weren't "together", they weren't seeing other people either. As a cop, Nathan understood her hectic work schedule and vice versa, so they stole moments of happiness wherever and whenever they could…for as long as they could. The lust between them was consuming, but never came at the expense of their friendship. They went out all the time to the Rib with other guys in the force as well as to randomly fun places like the arcade, where a competitive spirit Sabrina never knew she possessed reared its ugly head. Nathan usually beat her, but she didn't care because her consolation prize was always worth it. They also spent hours at his apartment talking about everything and anything; however, Nathan seemed to clam up when the conversation turned to his background. While he wasn't completely closed off to discussing his family and childhood, he didn't offer a lot of details; but, since they weren't "together", Sabrina didn't push him.

Sabrina and Nathan's relationship was physically intense, but emotionally light while her relationship with Patrick had been complicated. Despite being as understanding as she could over Robin, she always felt like she was competing with a dead woman for his affection. His memories always trumped theirs and she felt like Patrick had one foot in the grave with Robin and no desire to escape. Conversely, she and Nathan never dwelled on the past, choosing instead to live in the present, with tons of goofy selfies on their phones memorializing their adventures.

The day at the police station was the day she vowed to stop pining for Patrick, who clearly didn't want her. She she did that, Sabrina felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted. When she ran into them at work, she was polite and conversational, not quite friendly, but she stopped retreateing and avoiding them. She talked to Patrick about the baby and her health, but never asked him about his marriage or allowed him to ask about her personal life. She actual even watched Emma for them when they went to a conference a few weekends back. Sabrina and Emma still got along famously. Emma was understanably confused, but seemed to accept that Sabrina wasn't daddy's "princess" and couldn't be as big a presence in her life anymore. Emma also met Nathan that weekend and loved him immediately. He related well with her – joking around and winning her lots of prizes at the arcade. It was actually pretty comical when Patrick and Robin came to pick Emma up and found a colony of stuffed animals to take home with them. (Sabrina had refused to watch Emma at Patrick's.) Robin was lively as Emma had her meet each one of Snowflake's new friends, but Patrick grew quiet when Emma told them that Nathan had won them for her. He put on a good show for Emma, but Sabrina could tell something was off; however, it wasn't her job to question him on his feelings anymore and decided to leave that to Robin. As Robin, Patrick and Emma were leaving, Nathan came by to pick her up for dinner. Before he could get through the door Emma, charged him with an ear-splitting "Nathan!" and he scooped her up, spun her around and did their super-secret handshake, as Sabrina watched in awe and thought what a good dad he would make someday. Shortly thereafter, she hugged Emma goodbye with a promise to see her again soon and tactfully shoed the trio out so she could get ready for her date.

Patrick had reluctantly agreed to leave Emma with Sabrina, but only because Anna, Mac and Felicia weren't able to take her for the weekend he and Robin were due at the couples retreat. He actually thought Sabrina would refuse, but she didn't as long as they agreed to let Emma sleep at her place because she thought it would be too weird staying over in a house she no longer belonged in. Patrick noticed that Sabrina seemed happier since she met Nathan. She even stopped avoiding him and Robin and engaged them in some conversation. Nathan came by the hospital for "lunch" a lot and Sabrina would be magically re-energized and cheerful when she returned, which usually resulted in Patrick getting grumpier. He and Robin had been working on their marriage since the night they saw Sabrina at the Rib and they were making some progress, but Patrick was still caught with an acute sense of loss every time he interacted with Sabrina and Kevin Collins thought the retreat might be helpful for them.

When he and Robin came to pick up Emma from her weekend with Sabrina, they were shocked by the number of stuffed animals she had to take home. Patrick knew Sabrina hadn't won them because she, well, sucked at those games. As Emma took Robin to meet each one, she chattered on about how great Sabrina's friend Nathan was. He'd taken them to the arcade, where he won all her new friends and, afterward, they went for pizza and ice cream and then to the new Disney movie. Before she'd fallen asleep, she beat him at three games of Pretty Pretty Princess. Patrick knew that Robin was encouraged by Sabrina moving on because she thought it would hasten him letting go; but, in fact, the exact opposite was true.

As they were packing Emma and her animals up, Nathan came by. Sabrina, in her sweats and glasses, happily opened the door to a kiss that made Emma go "Eww!" as Patrick felt sick to his stomach. Before Nathan could even get in the door, Emma careened into his arms screeching with happiness. He scooped her up with a "Hey, pipsqueak!" and spun her around to a chorus of giggles. As he did that, Patrick glanced at Sabrina, who had a wistful look Patrick knew all too well – and didn't like. Sabrina said goodbye to Emma and then politely shooed them outside. As they left, Patrick heard more giggles that, from experience, told him Sabrina and Nathan would be ordering takeout, but not anytime soon.

It was pretty hilarious to Robin that the father away from Patrick Sabrina drifted, the more irritated he got. From what she'd heard, Patrick had spent most of his and Sabrina's relationship longing for her and now he was spending most of his time pining for Sabrina. The weekend retreat hadn't gone as well as Robin hoped. They were making some progress, but the Patrick that Robin left just didn't seem to exist anymore. She hated suggesting Sabrina watch Emma, but they needed a sitter and didn't have a choice. The funny thing was now that Sabrina was happy, she and Robin actually kind of got along. They weren't friends by any means, but they were able to chat politely about the hospital, Emma and even the baby. Robin was trying hard to accept this child for Patrick's sake and had realized Sabrina seemed to wish as much as Robin that Patrick wasn't the father, as it seemed to be a constant reminder for her of everything she lost and was trying so hard to move on from. Robin prayed their marriage would survive because, based off of what she'd just observed, she believed that Sabrina would be unlikely to take Patrick back anytime soon even if he groveled.

Nathan was having a blast with Sabrina. Neither of them had expectations, so it took the pressure off maintaining a relationship with their demanding jobs. This case with Silas Clay was still driving him insane and because of that he still steered clear of his background. He'd told her some stories, but never gave details. He loved learning all about Sabrina, though, who seemed to be a different person since the day at the station (over which he did get an earful from Anna). When she came over that night, he'd sensed a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was still in pain, sure, but she wasn't dwelling on it anymore. He'd barely gotten a word in edgewise before talking was the last thing on either of their minds. They ended up eating dinner in bed, as well as breakfast and lunch. The only reason he let her out of his sight was because they both had to work. When Sabrina left his apartment, he realized why Drake's face was filled with rage. If Nathan had been dumb enough to let a woman like Sabrina go, he'd want to kill the bastard who next slept with her, too.

Nathan was surprised that Sabrina invited him to spend time with her and Emma a few weekends ago. He didn't have much experience with kids, but Emma was a doll and he could tell why Sabrina loved her so much. Surprisingly, he had a lot of fun during their outing, but was still a little miffed that he'd been soundly beaten by Emma at Pretty Pretty Princess – three times. He couldn't believe he'd agreed to play, but watching them made Sabrina happy, so he was happy to do it. Nathan had been surprised Emma was still there when he went to pick Sabrina up for their date, but he wasn't surprised, yet again, when they never made it out of her apartment. Even dressed down in sweats and her glasses, she was irresistible. He wasn't a relationship kind of guy, but he hoped whatever they had wasn't ending anytime soon.


	7. Chapter 7

Sabrina was by the nurses' station daydreaming about Nathan when Patrick walked up.

"Hey," he said, "you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah," Sabrina replied as she dug through her pocket. "I wanted to give you the latest sonogram of our baby." She pulled out the picture and handed it to Patrick.

Patrick took it and looked at it in awe, "Wow. Our little one is getting so big."

"Yep! And active too. He is keeping me up with his kicking," she replied with a smile that got bigger as Patrick realized they were having a son.

Just then, Nathan came up behind her. "Hey, gorgeous" he said as he kissed her neck from behind, "What's up?"

Sabrina turned around, gave him a quick peck, and showed him her copy of the sonogram. He smiled and said "So it is a boy?! Dang, Rascal is getting big, isn't he?"

Just as Sabrina was about to respond, Patrick interjected, "Excuse me? Rascal?"

Sabrina turned back around to face Patrick and said "Yeah, sorry, Patrick. Rascal is our nickname for the little guy, who can't seem to sit still." Looking back at Nathan, she said "Well we'd better get a move on. I just have to talk to the Smith family quick about a form they need to sign."

Nathan and Patrick watched Sabrina leave with equally gooey expressions on their faces. As they fell into awkward conversation about the baby, Robin came up. Patrick happily showed her the sonogram and Nathan could tell she was trying, but seemed to still be having a hard time with it. Nathan, on the other hand, was actually thrilled for Sabrina. He knew she was going to be a great mom, so if he wanted to be in her life, which he did, then he had to accept her baby, which wasn't nearly as hard as he thought it would be. Nathan, wanting to keep the peace, steered the conversation to Anna, who was having a tough time now that it came out that Duke was helping Sonny go after the Jeromes, when all hell broke loose.

Patrick had been watching Sabrina up on the landing chatting with the Smith family as he half listened to the conversation between Robin and Nathan about Anna. She'd just finished and turned toward the steps when a little boy's toy car went between her feet. Patrick saw Sabrina lose her footing and, unable to regain it, begin tumbling down the stairs. The next few seconds happened in slow motion for Patrick, who was rooted to his spot. Nathan, Robin and Liz, who was on duty, rushed over to the landing hoping maybe to stop her fall, but Patrick knew it was useless. Sabrina was going to fall and they couldn't stop it, just like he couldn't stop the lab explosion. He'd been a powerless observer then, just as he was one now.

Nathan knew Sabrina was falling and there was nothing he could do about it. But, as a cop, his instincts kicked in and he ran toward her so he could try to minimize the damage. He hoped to God that she came out of this unscathed because it would kill him to see her, the woman he loved (yes, loved!) in pain, yet again, for something so out of her control. Everyone on the floor worked to get Sabrina to the ER as soon as possible. Once she was being checked out, Liz called Felix to come to the hospital as Robin worked to break Patrick from his trance. As a cop, Nathan was able to stay with Sabrina as the doctors worked on her and transported her a few floors down.

Nathan, Patrick, Robin, Liz, Felix, Brad and Anna were all in the waiting room when Dr. Benz came in. Solemnly, he looked at Patrick and said, "Dr. Drake, you are the father of Ms. Santiago's baby, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then we need to talk, urgently, over here."

As Patrick and the doctor moved to the corner, everyone could tell that the doctor's solemn expression and Patrick's agitation didn't bode well for Sabrina.

"NO! No! Don't make me make this decision." Patrick suddenly shouted, which prompted Robin to run over to try to calm him down as Dr. Benz replied "We need your permission, Patrick, and we are running out of time…"

At that, Anna got up and helped Robin move Patrick to a nearby chair because he looked like he was ready to pass out. The doctor followed Patrick back into the throng of Sabrina's concerned "family" and then addressed them all in an effort to get through to Patrick.

"Ms. Santiago has had a placental eruption, meaning that, during the fall, the placenta detached from the uterus. While it is only about halfway detached, making it touch-and-go for the baby, Ms. Santiago's blood is not clotting properly and she is continuing to bleed out." Dr. Benz turned to Patrick, who sat with his head in his hands, "Patrick, I need your consent…"

At that, Anna said "So you're asking Patrick to choose between Sabrina and their child?", to which Felix responded with "No, it's too soon…"

After what seemed like an eternity, but was really just a few moments, Patrick looked up at Dr. Benz gravely and whispered "Do it."

Patrick thought he'd already been to hell, but this was far worse. He'd lost Robin and it nearly killed him, but he'd managed to survive and eventually move forward. However, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he could not live in a world without Sabrina in it, so he did what he had to do and he vowed that if she pulled through, he would not waste one more moment of their lives. He would tell her he needed her and win her back. Patrick was done living in the past.


	8. Chapter 8

Sabrina had the loveliest dream. She, Patrick, Emma and their son were picnicking on the fourth of July. Emma was laying on a blanket playing with her brother while she set the table and Patrick grilled burgers. Emma was the best big sister and she adored her little brother to pieces. After they ate, the family played by the swings with Patrick pushing Emma to her shouts of "Higher, Daddy!" and Sabrina gently swaying next to them holding the baby. Later, Patrick and Sabrina stole loving glances at each other as they watched the fireworks from the blanket with their children sleeping between them. As long as she thought about her family, it kept the pounding in her head at bay. She heard Patrick's voice in the distance calling "Sabrina, love, come back to me. _Please._" Sabrina wanted to stay in the park with her family, where there was no pain or loneliness, but she couldn't resist the pull of Patrick's voice…

The moment Patrick saw Sabrina open her eyes; he felt an immense sense of relief. She had been out for a long time because she had hit her head on the stairs – hard – as she fell. Patrick only left Sabrina's side when he was forced to by Robin, Anna or Felix to eat or sleep. He knew it was during those breaks that Nathan slipped in the room to see Sabrina. Although Patrick didn't like it, he was all for it if it would convince Sabrina to wake up. As much as he didn't want Nathan to be the one there when she did, he could tell the guy was devoted to her by how there was always a strange new gift on her windowsill every time Patrick came back – a beer mug, a pizza box, an arcade token, his PCPD card, movie ticket stubs, a Pretty Pretty Princess game, a figurine of a person skiing, and a seashell. Patrick had absolutely no idea why Nathan would leave such random gifts and couldn't figure it out because there wasn't a single note included.

Patrick was devastated over the loss of his son, as well as the loss of time getting to know him that he had missed out on because of his and Sabrina's strained relationship. He couldn't believe he lost another child. It seemed like every miracle Patrick got was balanced by a loss – falling for Sabrina, but losing Britt's baby; getting Robin back, but losing Sabrina and their son. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. All Patrick knew was that he would be there for Sabrina during this crisis and let her know how much he still loved her.

Nathan was heartsick over Sabrina's loss. He had been there for most of her pregnancy and he knew how much she loved her son, despite the fact that he was a reminder of her painful past. Nathan had also fallen a little in love with the rascal and was still upset over never getting to meet him. Sabrina hadn't woken up yet and he was worried. He wanted to sit with her, but Patrick had taken up nearly permanent residence in her room. Although Patrick said it was because he wanted to be there when she woke up, Nathan knew it was because the guy was still head over heels in love with her and couldn't bear to be away from her now that he'd almost lost her. As a result, Nathan could only spend short bouts of time with Sabrina, but he always made sure to leave a memento of their life together on her windowsill. Nathan had realized, as she was falling, that he was in love with her and hoped the symbols of their "adventures" together would bring her comfort. Even if she was still hung up on Patrick, he wanted her to be reminded of what he could offer her if she gave him a chance. Once she woke up, Nathan vowed to tell her the truth about how he felt, Patrick be damned. Nathan was not going to throw away the life they could have just because Patrick finally woke up from his stupor. The guy was in for the fight of his life if he decided he wants Sabrina back.


	9. Chapter 9

When Sabrina opened her eyes, she saw Patrick sitting by her bed and knew he was the one begging her to come back to him. For a split second, she'd thought her dream had come true, but then she was hit by an overwhelming sense of loss as reality set back in.

"Patrick?" she asked groggily.

"Hey, beautiful." He replied as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"What happened? Why are you here?"

Patrick hesitated, swallowed as if he was steeling himself, and said "You fell down the stairs from the upper lounge on 10 a few days ago. Do you remember?"

"Yes….Oh, God, Patrick, the baby…" Sabrina whispered with eyes wide as saucers.

As Patrick looked away struggling to hide the tears in his eyes, Sabrina realized the worst thing ever had just happened to her. The pain she experienced a few months ago in losing Patrick was nothing compared to the utter devastation she felt now. Was this how Patrick felt when he lost Robin? She had a hole in her heart and knew nothing or no one could ever fill it. Ever.

Once Sabrina realized they lost the baby, there were no words between them for a long time. Patrick just sat there, holding Sabrina's hand and crying in tandem with her. He'd had days to grieve, but the wound was still fresh enough that her speechless reaction was like a scab being ripped off. So, he embraced the pain and grieved the child he loved and lost with the woman he loved and lost.

Patrick had planned to tell Sabrina about his change of heart after he told her about the baby, but he just couldn't do it. He was emotionally drained and he knew that she was, too, so he decided to give them a little time to heal before he dropped this bombshell on her. With a promise to check on her soon, he left. Plus, he needed to talk to Robin. When he went to Sabrina, he needed her to know without a shadow of a doubt she was his first – and only – choice.

Sabrina, lost in her misery, looked around the room and saw the windowsill plastered with strange items. Admittedly curious, she looked more closely and realized Nathan must have left them for her. She spied the beer mug and arcade coin and felt a smile pull at her lips. As her eyes laid on each passing gift, her smile grew wider:

A pizza box from the same restaurant from where they ordered pizza the night they decided to be friends with benefits

His PCPD card, a reminder of their hot "lunch" at the PCPD where she buried her pain and the steamy night that followed

A movie ticket stub from their non-date where they mutually decided to not-date exclusively

A Pretty Pretty Princess game reminding her of the fun weekend she'd had watching Nathan bond with Emma

A souvenir figurine from the night they went "skiing" only to sit in the lodge cuddling by the fire until closing, happy and content; and, finally

Her lucky seashell from Puerto Rico, which she'd given him hoping to bring him success on his big case

Yet again, Nathan had made Sabrina smile despite her pain. Those mementos of their adventures together cheered her more than any card, bouquet or balloon could have. Smiling, she focused on the happiness and freedom she felt with Nathan and felt a little better. He always knew what she needed even when she didn't and she loved that about him. Although Carlos had played a part, Sabrina knew it was Nathan who had saved her from herself after losing Patrick. She never believed she could be whole and happy again, but she was, even now when she was more miserable than she'd ever been. It was at this moment Sabrina realized what Patrick meant when he said she'd pulled him from a fog he didn't know he'd been living in. She had put him back together, piece by piece, in everyday ways he never noticed, which is what she now knew Nathan had done for her. Nathan was everything she had never looked for and never wanted to lose.

Nathan wasn't sure what to expect when he went to see Sabrina at the hospital. He found out from Felix that Patrick had told her the night before about the baby. He wanted to give them some time to grieve together, so he waited to go see her until he started going crazy wondering how she was.

"Sabrina?" he asked as he entered her room, "Are you awake?"

"Nathan. Please come in" she said from the reclining chair by her bedside as she waved him in.

Closing the door softly, Nathan made his way over to her and noticed she was holding the corny souvenir he'd bought her the night they went "skiing". He'd wanted her to experience something new, so he took her to the local slopes for a surprise ski lesson. Nathan knew she wouldn't want to actually ski the slope because of the baby, but she had fun learning and then they cuddled by the fire in the lodge for hours afterward. He'd never been more content in his life and that was when he realized he had feelings for her beyond friendship.

Sabrina had asked the nurse to get her into the chair because she was going stir-crazy in the bed. When she lay there, all she could do was stare at the ceiling and think about everything she'd lost. She missed her son so much. She felt empty and alone without him, as if a piece of her soul was gone. She cried and cried, first with Patrick last night and then alone all day in private, and she just couldn't cry anymore. There were no more tears left. Although she wondered why Patrick hadn't come back, she figured it was for the best. Now that they didn't have their son tying them together, Sabrina thought they could make a clean break and Patrick could finally focus all his attention on his family. She didn't envy the position she put him in, so, in a way, she was glad it was over. She would never have wished in a million years for this resolution, but now everyone could move forward. After she was settled in her chair, she asked the nurse to give her the figurine. As she sat there, rolling it through her hands, she smiled and wondered what Nathan was doing and when he would come because she desperately needed him. Thus, Sabrina was happy to see Nathan when he popped his head in the door. She knew that he could tell she was emotionally spent, so, after their brief conversation at the door, all he did was come and kneel by her chair, put his head on her lap and wrap his arms around her waist. At that, Sabrina felt her pain subside.

Patrick had come back to the hospital to see Sabrina and tell her he'd broken things off with Robin. When he got to her room, he saw the door shutting. Wondering who was there with her, Patrick walked up to the window and peeked in. Then, with a sigh and a heavy heart, turned around and walked away.

Nathan held onto Sabrina for dear life. All he wanted to do was take her pain away, but he knew that he couldn't, so he poured all his love into their embrace hoping it was enough to numb it, at least for a little while. After a few minutes like that, he and Sabrina broke apart. Still kneeling he looked up and locked eyes with her and told her he loved her simply because he did and he wanted her to know it, not because he expected to hear it back. Thus, he was shocked when she pulled him up to her, kissed him softly and whispered "I love you, too."


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Sabrina was getting ready to be discharged when Robin knocked on her door and asked to come in. She waved her in and sat down on the side of the bed, not sure what to expect.

"Sabrina…how are you feeling?"

"Ready to get out of here," Sabrina said with a small, sad smile. "I'm a horrible patient."

"Yeah, me too." Robin said. "Listen, I'm really sorry about the baby. If I'm being honest, I was having a hard time with it, but I never wanted this…for either of you."

"It's ok. It took me a long time to accept Britt's baby, too. I get it." Sabrina replied. "Thanks for saying that though."

With a small, tearful nod, Robin turned around and walked out. Sabrina noticed Robin didn't seem herself and wondered what was going on, but put it out of her mind when Nathan came in to get her.

"Ready to blow this joint?" he asked as he walked up to her for a quick kiss.

"Yeah, you have no idea. I can't wait to get home."

"Well, then, let's get the show on the road. My car is right outside." Nathan said as he grabbed her bag and collection of gifts and cards.

Patrick knocked on Sabrina's door and waited. He had stopped by the hospital again today to talk to her, but found out from Robin, of all people, that she'd been discharged a little earlier. Things between him and Robin were somewhat awkward since their breakup, but, since they both loved Emma, they worked to stay as friendly as possible, which wasn't actually that difficult. Emma had been upset when she learned they weren't going to live together anymore, but he and Robin, who had moved in with Anna for the time being, assured her they were still a family no matter what. As he waited, he replayed the scene in his mind:

_Patrick had arrived home the night before last emotionally spent from grieving with Sabrina. When he arrived, Robin told him that Emma was spending the night with Anna and that dinner was in the microwave if he wanted to heat it up. Robin had actually been very supportive of him since Sabrina's accident and he felt like an ass for what he was about to do to her after everything she'd been through the past two years. When he said "Robin, we need to talk," Patrick realized Robin knew what was coming. During their emotional discussion, she told him she realized it was over the night of Sabrina's fall, but decided to continue to be there for him until he was ready to admit it out loud. Robin agreed that too much had happened to both of them during their time apart and that their therapy sessions with Dr. Collins had made her realize that they just didn't fit as a couple anymore. They both admitted that they could not live without each other though, so they decided to stay friends for their sakes as well as Emma's._

When Brad answered the door, he was clearly surprised to see Patrick on the other side. When Patrick asked to see Sabrina, Brad acted funny and called for Felix.

"Hey, Felix, is Sabrina home?"

"No."

"Wasn't she discharged today?" Patrick asked, confused.

"Yeah, but she didn't come back here, Patrick, and she won't be back anytime soon."

"Wait? What do you mean? Where is she?" he asked, concerned.

"She at Nathan's." Felix said, exasperated, as if the answer was obvious. "They are moving in together."

Patrick was floored. He tried to get Felix to elaborate but Sabrina's usually chatty best friend was pretty tight-lipped. All Felix said before he closed the door in his face was to ask her himself.


	11. Chapter 11

Sabrina knew that moving in with Nathan was a pretty impulsive decision, but she just didn't care. The loss of Patrick and then their baby showed her that life is simply too short to waste time worrying about what other people think. After she and Nathan had exchanged their "I love you's" last night, they had a long conversation about their future. Neither of them was ready for any giant permanent steps, but they both wanted more than they currently had, so they decided to move in together and see how things go between them and an official couple. It had felt so nice for Sabrina to go "home" with Nathan after that weird visit from Robin. No matter how hard Sabrina tried, she couldn't put her finger on what seemed off with Robin, but she just continued to shrug it off, choosing, instead, to focus on the future. She missed her baby every second, but coming home with Nathan made it hurt just a little less. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Maxie was due back soon, so they would have to find a new place of their own, which she was going to do today while Nathan was at work. As Nathan was getting his gear together for his shift at the PCPD, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Sabrina shouted back at Nathan as she rushed to open the door.

"Patrick?!" she said, flustered, not expecting him to be on the other side. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk?"

"Um…yeah, I guess," she said as she stepped aside so he could enter.

Just then, Nathan came out of the bedroom with his jacket slung over one hand as he holstered his gun "Sabrina, I'm working the evening shift, so I should be home around…" and stopped short at the sight of Patrick. "Patrick, what brings you by?"

"I need to talk to Sabrina."

When Nathan looked at Sabrina questioningly, she said "Yeah, I'll be fine. You worry too much." When he still hesitated to leave, she walked over to him, touched him lightly and said, "It's fine, really. You'd better hurry or Anna will have your head for being late – again."

Sabrina and Nathan smiled at each other over their running joke over his constant lateness since getting together. "Ok," he said, as he bent down to give her a quick kiss, "I'm going, but call me if you need _anything._"

Once Nathan was out the door, Sabrina turned to Patrick. "So, what's up?"

* * *

Patrick didn't expect what he saw when he knocked on Nathan's door. When Felix told him Sabrina had moved in with Nathan, he was thrown and then a little annoyed. How could she so easily move on after losing their son? The Sabrina he knew was never this impulsive and it worried him a little. He believed she still loved him, but was throwing herself into this relationship with Nathan to prove something to herself and he needed to stop her before she did something she would regret.

Patrick heard her shout "I'll get it!" and was taken aback by her casual lightness as she opened the door. She was most beautiful this way, unguarded, and it took him a moment to find his voice to ask if they could talk.

Patrick's happiness at gaining entrance was cut short when he saw Nathan exit the bedroom. With his clipped "Patrick, what brings you by?" Patrick knew that Nathan had entered protective boyfriend mode and Patrick, who never backed down from a challenge, gave a terse response of his own about talking to Sabrina that hinted at his intentions. The conversation that followed, both spoken and unspoken between Sabrina and Nathan as she shooed him out the door, convinced Patrick he was facing an uphill battle – but one he intended to win.

"I needed to talk to you…about a lot of things." Patrick responded to Sabrina's query.

"Ok. Um, can I get you anything?" Sabrina asked, scurrying toward the kitchen, "We have…well, to be honest, I'm not sure what we have since I just moved in and Nathan isn't big on keeping the fridge stocked."

Patrick assured Sabrina he was fine and convinced her to sit with him on the couch. After asking how she was feeling physically, he asked how she was coping. At that, she told him she was taking it minute by minute and that she missed their son fiercely, but that she wouldn't be nearly as good as she was without Nathan's support. Sabrina being Sabrina then asked Patrick how he was doing. He explained that he felt like he was reliving last summer all over again, but that it was worse because he'd missed out on so much time that he could have had with her and their son. At that, Sabrina stilled.

"What do you mean, Patrick?"

"I mean, Sabrina, that I was an idiot. I missed out on so much with you and our son because I was too busy denying my feelings and working to save something that wasn't salvageable."

When Sabrina didn't say anything, he turned toward her, inched closer, took her hand and continued. "I thought I knew, deep down, that I wanted to be with Robin, so I couldn't figure out why I had such a hard time leaving you on Christmas Eve. When you gave me back your rings and forced me to leave, it nearly killed me, but I put it out of my mind and went back to my family. The thing is, Sabrina, I could never get you out of my head. Even in the midst of my joy, I wondered how you were and what you were doing. Then, when I found out you were pregnant, our life together flashed before my eyes and it hit me that you were the only woman I wanted to have a family – and a future - with. No matter how hard I tried to deny it and work on my marriage, I couldn't stand to see you moving on with Nathan…and thinking about him touching you and kissing you and making love to you nearly drove me insane."

As silent tears streamed down Sabrina's face, Patrick cupped her cheek and continued, "When you fell that night, Sabrina, I nearly died," he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "It was like watching the lab explode all over again and being powerless to stop it and I was frozen. Then, when the doctor told me you were bleeding out and that they needed to take our son to save you, I knew without a shadow of a doubt, that I couldn't survive in a world without you in it."

"Patrick, I…I…" Sabrina whispered, shaking her head.

"Shh. Don't say anything. Let me finish," he begged. "Sabrina, I love you and only you and I need you in my life and in Emma's life. I want us to be the family we dreamed about and make our own memories together with any children we have in the future. "

"Wh…What about Robin?" Sabrina asked, shaken.

"We broke up the other night, Sabrina" Patrick said as he covered her right hand with his noticeably naked left one. "She knew all along that you were the woman I wanted, ever since the day we found out about the baby, but neither of us could admit it. Too much has happened to go back, and we both deserve better."

Suddenly, Sabrina shot up from the couch and walked to the window, where she stayed for what felt like forever. Then, she turned back to him and said, in a sad voice, "I'm sorry…I just can't."


	12. Chapter 12

Patrick's confession of love threw Sabrina for a loop. It was not at all what she expected when he came to see her. She figured they would talk a bit about the baby and then they would say their goodbyes. She never believed he would come here and profess his love to her like this. If he'd said these things to her even a few days ago, she would probably have rushed back into his arms in tears and showered him with kisses. But, frankly, it was too little too late and she just didn't have the emotional strength to dive back into anything with him. The pain of the last few months was still far too raw, with the latest wound still bleeding. Sabrina feared that if she opened up to him and let him back into her life, it would be a constant struggle all over again. Could she ever come first in his life (after Emma, of course)? Did he love her enough to really let Robin go?

Sabrina still loved Patrick and knew that she always would, but now she loved Nathan, too. Their love was new and exciting and carefree. Sure, she realized the carefree part was temporary, but what couple didn't face trials at some point? The difference was that she knew without a doubt that she came first in Nathan's life. She never had to wonder or question that and, frankly, neither did he. When she admitted her love to Nathan, she committed to putting him first. Of course she thought about Patrick and what might have been, especially considering the baby and their close proximity at the hospital, but it didn't consume her the way Patrick's longing for Robin had consumed him. Sabrina needed Nathan in her life and accepting Patrick back would mean losing him – and that wasn't a trade she was willing to make. Not now. So, she turned from the window, looked Patrick dead in the eye, and sadly said "I'm sorry…I just can't."

Sabrina's heart broke a little at the look of pain, shock and hurt Patrick gave her as he asked "What? Why?"

"Patrick, I love you," she said through her tears. "I gave you everything I had when we were together, but you never did that for me. Then, I gave you even more when I let you go back to your wife. It's all I have in me. I can't risk taking another chance with you only to have it blow up in my face…again."

She walked back to the couch and sat down next to him and taking his hands in hers, said, "Please understand. Nathan and I are in love. He put me back together, Patrick, the way that I did for you last year. Nathan helped me grow stronger little by little everyday so that I could take care of our son the way he need me to in the time I had with him. I'm sorry, but as much as I love you, I can't give Nathan up. I won't."

With that, Sabrina got up from the couch and pulled Patrick up with her. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him with everything in her. Their kiss was passionate as always, but sad because she knew it was their last one. Sabrina was kissing her past goodbye.

* * *

Patrick, still reeling from Sabrina's response to his heartfelt confession, kissed Sabrina as if he was lost in the desert and she was his only source of water. The kiss was passionate (they always were), but while he was trying to convince her they could still be good together; he could tell that she was saying goodbye. When they pulled apart, both breathing heavily, Sabrina broke eye contact and asked him to leave and respect her choice.

"Alright, I'll go," Patrick said. "But this isn't over, Sabrina. Now that I found you again, I'll be damned if I lose you. I'm not giving up."

* * *

Nathan had arrived for his shift a little while ago. He hated leaving Sabrina alone with Patrick, but he didn't have a choice. She needed to grieve the loss of her baby with Patrick, the only other person experiencing the same pain she was. He trusted her completely, but Patrick was another story. His tone of voice when he said he needed to talk to Sabrina was, in Nathan's opinion, Patrick's way of putting him on notice. But the man was married, so why was he still being territorial over Sabrina?

"Nathan. Can we talk?" he heard from behind him. When he turned around he saw Robin Scorpio-Drake.

"Uh, sure. Let's go in here. As they walked into the interrogation room, he asked, "What can I do for you Robin?" (Since the accident they were on a first name basis, though they were far from friends.)

"It's not what you can do for me, it's what you can do for Sabrina."

"What about Sabrina?" he asked, curious.

"Look, you will find out soon enough. Patrick and I broke up the other day. He wants Sabrina back and, as much as I hate it, I want him to be happy. So, I'm asking you to let Sabrina go."

"What?" Nathan asked, astounded by this woman's audacity. Who does she think she is? What gives her the right to dictate other people's lives?

As she started to explain again, he said, "I heard you the first time, Robin; so, I need you to listen and listen well. Your husband is an idiot. Unlike him, I know what I found in Sabrina and there is no way in HELL that I'm letting her go just because he woke up and realized his mistake – finally."

When she started to interject, he cut her off, "Anyone with two eyes could tell he was still in love with her, but, instead of embracing that love and enjoying every minute with her and their baby, he threw it away in a lame effort to recapture a past that was, by all accounts, over and done a long time ago. He ripped her heart to shreds and destroyed her and I'm the one who helped her pick up the pieces. If she asked me to let her go, I would, because I love her enough to do that; but, I don't think she will. And, I'm sorry, but I'm not the noble self-sacrificing type. I want her in my life and I don't give a shit about Patrick's feelings on the issue. So you can go and tell your husband that if he wants MY girlfriend back, he's in for the fight of his life."

With that, Nathan opened the door and walked out, leaving a shocked Robin in his wake.


	13. Chapter 13

As she sat getting ready for the Nurse's Ball, which had been moved to June for the Day of Compassion this year, Sabrina thought about how much her life had changed in a year. She had nearly given up on Patrick when he surprised her before the ball and admitted his feelings for her and made her dreams come true. As she got to know Patrick and get closer to him and Emma, Sabrina realized that the reality was so much better than the dream, which made it nearly unbearable to get through the pain when everything came crashing down at her and Patrick's non-wedding.

It had been a month since Patrick's "Come to Jesus" moment. It killed her to cause him pain, but Sabrina knew that she had to do it in order to spare herself more pain in the long run. When Nathan returned home after his shift, Sabrina told him everything. She was surprised Nathan had said that despite being in love with her, he was willing to let her go if that is what she really wanted. Touched by his thoughtfulness, she assured him that he was the man she wanted to be with and then proceeded to lovingly prove it.

Shortly thereafter, Sabrina and Nathan moved from Maxie's apartment to Dante and Lulu's old one. The couple had, thankfully, reconciled and needed a bigger place for them and their baby, so Sabrina and Nathan jumped at the chance for a fresh start of their own. It took a little while for Sabrina to get used to being in a studio apartment, but she loved the openness of it and she had to admit that having the bed close by was pretty convenient. Sabrina loved living with Nathan in their own place free of memories of their pasts. Being together as a couple had taken some adjustment, but she was happy even though she still missed her baby.

Sabrina had thought about not going to the Ball this year, but Nathan had convinced her to go because, after hearing how hard she worked last year, he felt she deserved to go and enjoy the revitalization she worked for. Robin, Patrick, Liz and Lucy had been the primary planners this year since Robin was the one who arranged most of the funding thanks to donors in awe of her cure for Polonium poisoning. Sabrina wanted to help, but didn't have the emotional energy to do it considering everything that had happened. Once Nathan had convinced her to go, she wanted to contribute to the cause, so they cooked up a performance that would represent the woman she was now - and probably cause a bit of a shock to the audience.

Patrick had actually moved into an apartment down the hall from theirs after Robin had moved back in his house to live with Emma full-time. When Sabrina questioned him on it after seeing him moving boxes, he said it was because he wanted to give Robin the opportunity to make up for lost time and because he knew Sabrina was no longer comfortable there. When she came back to him, he wanted them to buy their own place. Patrick was really pulling out all the stops to woo her back, including arranging his shifts at the hospital to coincide with hers, "accidentally" running into her in the hall and sending her bouquets of flowers with notes stating that he wasn't giving up and that she was the only woman in his heart. Sabrina wasn't completely unaffected by Patrick's efforts, but every time he did something, Nathan one-upped him by reminding her how good they are together and using every tool in his vast romantic arsenal to get her to focus on him, which she certainly didn't mind.

* * *

Nathan and Sabrina sat with Dante and Lulu at the Nurse's Ball. When he laid eyes on Sabrina earlier, he was momentarily breathless. She was stunning in a gold sheath dress that accentuated her curves in all the right places. Viewing her from the front, she was the Sabrina everyone knew, with a modest halter neckline; but, from the back, she was a siren, with a thigh-high slit and practically bare back. The front half of her hair was pulled back in a barrette as the lower half cascaded down her back. She wore simple diamond hoops in her ears, a diamond stud necklace and the diamond tennis bracelet, as well as heels that made it seem as if her legs stretched for miles.

It had taken a great deal of convincing to get Sabrina to agree to go to the ball. She wanted to stay away to spare everyone awkwardness in front of the whole town, but he believed she deserved to go since she was largely responsible for the revitalization. In the end, she acquiesced and even threw herself into preparing a performance that would show everyone the firecracker Sabrina he'd fallen in love with.

The dress, he knew, was part of Sabrina finally deciding to show the world her Latina fire, which he was so happy to see her embracing. He loved that she was being so strong in fighting for what she wants and not caving into Patrick's pressure to revert to the past. Nathan had to give the guy credit, as he had been working overtime to put himself back in Sabrina's orbit since his confession of love – arranging his shifts to coincide with hers, moving into their building and sending her cards and flowers. If he was honest with himself, Nathan was bothered by it, but every time Patrick made a move, Nathan, who had the home field advantage, made a better one that made Patrick the last thing on her mind. Nathan was fighting for their life together and he wasn't above playing a little dirty to do it.

* * *

Patrick was frustrated by his lack of progress in convincing Sabrina she's the woman he wants. He thought that by putting himself in her constant proximity she wouldn't be able to ignore him. He made it a point to work with her as much as possible and even moved into her building to be near her. Patrick knew there was no way Sabrina would want to live with him in his house when they got back together, so he suggested Robin move in there with Emma for much needed bonding time. Emma was upset he was leaving, but was happy when he told her that he found a place in Sabrina's building. Since he and Robin agreed to joint custody, Emma was with him more often than not and got to spend time with Sabrina, who agreed to watch her sometimes when their work schedules didn't overlap. He missed having Emma all to himself, but knew that Robin needed a chance to make up for lost time, so it was working out for the best this way.

When putting himself in Sabrina's orbit didn't work the way he hoped, Patrick started sending her flowers with love notes. In the notes, Patrick made sure to stress that he wasn't going to quit and that she was the only woman in his heart. In a way, it saddened him to realize that he'd sent her more gifts in the past month than he had during their entire relationship. Patrick wanted to kick himself for taking Sabrina for granted the way he did and not showing her what she meant to him when they were together because maybe it wouldn't be as hard to convince her of his sincerity now. To add insult to injury, every time he thought he made progress with her, Nathan completely obliterated it with what Patrick felt were unfair tactics.

Patrick wasn't sure if Sabrina was going to come to the Nurse's Ball or not considering everything that went down between her, him and Robin in the past few months. However, he heard from Felix that Nathan had convinced her to come since she played such a large role last year and that she even planned a surprise performance. Patrick had no idea what her performance was going to be, but he couldn't wait to see it – and her. And, Patrick had a surprise up his sleeve as well that he hoped would finally convince her that he was serious.

Patrick was sitting with Emma, Robin, Anna, Duke, Mac, Felicia and Maxie when Sabrina and Nathan arrived. He had been checking the doorway nonstop for the past half hour while half listening to the conversations at the table. When she and Nathan arrived, fashionably late and a little disheveled, Patrick was stunned by her beauty even more so than he was last year. Last year, he entered Anna's suite expecting to confess his feelings to, well, an ugly duckling, but instead found a swan. This year, that swan had transformed into a goddess. From the looks of it, the rest of Port Charles was stunned as well considering the number of head turns and aborted conversations as the happy couple made their way to Dante and Lulu's table.


	14. Chapter 14

Sabrina should have been uncomfortable by all the stares and whispers aimed her way when she and Nathan entered the ball, but she wasn't. In fact, it was just this opposite, as she finally felt as if she were the person she was meant to be and was proud to be showing it. She wasn't aiming to be a sex kitten like Carly, though Nathan had assured her in more ways than one before the ball that she was, but rather for confident, sassy and sultry. If her goal was to let Port Charles – and Patrick – eat their hearts out over underestimating her, then she was well on her way to achieving it. As she stole a glance at Nathan, sexy as hell in his tux, she felt grateful that he had come into her life and given her the push she needed to show her true self.

Sabrina was mostly a spectator this year with the exception of her surprise performance and her small role in the opening number with Felix and the other nurses. In between performances, she let her gaze drift across the room on Patrick and his family and felt a slight sense of longing for the people she still thought of as her own family and what might have been had Robin never returned from the "dead". All things considered, though, she knew it was better that it blew up before she and Patrick had truly established a life together instead of after because she doubted she could have survived that. Sabrina, hand in hand with Nathan, smiled and laughed at the array of performances and cried at Robin's heartfelt speech on living with HIV and imploring everyone to do their part to help find a cure. During her speech Robin had mentioned and got emotional over some guy named Stone a lot, to which Sabrina noticed Patrick wince as she stole a glance at him and Emma. Sabrina wondered what the history was there, but had to put it out of her mind as she and Nathan were called to prepare for their performance.

* * *

Patrick kept stealing glances at Sabrina during the Ball and wondering what might have been if Robin had never returned. Would he, Sabrina and Emma have been sitting together with their extended family? He was grateful that Robin was back and wouldn't trade that for just about anything, but he was a little bitter that his life, which he had worked hard to create from the ashes, had been turned upside down by the revelation. He sat holding Emma while Robin spoke about life with HIV and the need to continue to try to find a cure and was affected by her constant mentions of Stone. At that, Patrick realized he'd been battling a dead man for Robin's affection for years. Maybe he knew more about how Sabrina felt during their relationship than even he realized.

When the time came for Sabrina's performance with Nathan, Patrick steeled himself, not sure of what to expect. Then the curtain opened and he was, once again, stunned. Sabrina stood in Nathan's arms, wearing a flared red miniskirt attached with nude colored mesh to a sequined halter bikini top smiling up at him as if he were the only man in the world. When the music started, which Patrick later learned was "Vivir Mi Vida" by Marc Anthony, they launched into a salsa that raised the temperature of the entire room – and made his blood boil, both with lust and jealousy. Sabrina had finally fully broken out of her shell, showing everyone who had ever underestimated her as a mousy nobody who she really was. The town was finally seeing a glimpse of the fearless and passionate woman he fell in love with, but to a greater degree than he ever imagined existed. Where and when did she learn to salsa like that?

* * *

Nathan was proud of Sabrina. She had been really nervous leading up to their salsa performance, but she handled it like a pro. When he found out, quite by accident, that she and Carlos used to salsa back in Puerto Rico, he suggested they do one at the Ball. To his knowledge, no one in Port Charles, not even Patrick, had ever known this side of his girlfriend and he thought it was time for Sabrina to let it loose. She had been apprehensive, but she caved when he told her how happy he would be to share this new "adventure" with her. Plus, her teaching him to salsa gave him a perfect excuse to hold her in his arms, which ultimately helped keep Patrick out of her mind.

When the curtain went up, he could feel the stares of everyone in the room on them, but mostly on Sabrina, who they had never seen thusly. He whispered for her to focus on him and was rewarded with a bright smile. As they danced to the salsa she had chosen, he felt her nervousness drain away, as well as the tension and sadness that had clung to her for so long, and saw joy and contentment replace them. When they finished to roaring applause, he pulled her close and spun her around as they kissed.

They walked hand-in-hand as they exited the stage, where they ran into Patrick, who had brought Emma backstage for her performance with Robin. Nathan, smirking, caught Patrick's eye and the two of them exchanged non-verbal spars as Emma, Sabrina and Robin excitedly conversed. When Emma and Robin left to go on stage, Sabrina thanked Patrick for his congratulations before pulling Nathan away to change.

* * *

Sabrina was still on a high from her performance. She couldn't believe she'd actually done it! Because of Nathan's encouragement, she allowed her true self to shine through and it was more satisfying than she could have imagined. Aside from a moment of awkwardness with Patrick backstage, Sabrina was satisfied with how wonderfully the night had gone. She was sitting next to Nathan, who was animatedly conversing with Dante and Lulu, when the room suddenly went dark. When the curtain went up, Sabrina saw Patrick sitting on a stool with Emma in his arms and a microphone in his hands. Then, in a room silent with anticipation, he looked straight at her and began singing:

_"You're not alone…You're not alone anymore"_

_"You're not alone…You're not alone anymore"_

_"I know you think there's no way out, like you've been living in the dark, but you don't have to feel alone…"_

Upon hearing the song, Sabrina stilled as Felix, Brad, Elizabeth, Robin, Mac, Felicia, Sam, Silas and Epiphany all turned to stare at her with shocked faces. She felt the weight of their stares, but she was completely in the moment with Patrick, being transported back to their wedding day and the candle lighting ceremony with Emma. While most of Port Charles just assumed Patrick and Emma were closing the Ball the same way they did last year, the ones who had turned to stare at her knew that Patrick's performance was so much more than that. It was a very large, very public gesture that all but declared that his marriage was indeed over and Sabrina was the woman he wanted. As Sabrina sat with tears silently falling down her face, Emma climbed down off of Patrick's lap and made her way toward Sabrina with another microphone and waited.

* * *

Nathan wasn't sure what was happening. He'd been talking to Dante when, suddenly, the entire room went still. When the curtain went up, he saw Patrick and Emma on the stage under a spotlight. When Patrick started singing, he figured the Ball was coming to a close; however, Sabrina's reaction hinted there was more to the story. It was the first time since they'd been together that Nathan felt like an intruder into Patrick and Sabrina's world. When he noticed the stares and shocked faces of people he knew had been at their ill-fated wedding, Nathan realized the song must mean something to the couple.

About halfway through the song, Emma got down from Patrick's lap and made her way to Sabrina with a microphone. After a few heartbeats of tension, Sabrina took the microphone, got up, and walked with Emma to the stage where she began singing with Patrick. As Emma stood between Patrick and Sabrina holding their hands, Nathan was awed not only by her angelic voice, but also by the bond of the would-have-been family.

As jealousy and insecurity began creeping into this heart, Nathan admitted to himself that Patrick's hold over Sabrina was far from broken. But, deep down, he grudgingly applauded the guy for finally stepping up his game and pulling a stunt that Nathan would have to work hard to counter.


	15. Chapter 15

Ever since the Nurse's Ball, Sabrina couldn't get Patrick out of her head. She finally realized, thanks to his "grand gesture", that he had meant what he said the night he confessed his feelings – that he loved and wanted her. The problem was, however, that she no longer trusted him with her heart. In short, Sabrina was scared – of pain, of her feelings, of his feelings – and what she would lose if she took the leap and ended up falling on her face: Nathan. Nathan had been so good to her and falling in love with him was unexpected, but felt more right than she could ever have imagined. Giving into her feelings for Patrick and trusting him again would be taking a huge chance. Even though Sabrina now believed that Patrick wants her, she questioned whether he still would when something inevitably happened to draw him back into Robin's orbit. Would he suddenly realize he was wrong in changing his mind and ditch her again? If he did, then Sabrina would be back where she started, but even more alone and broken than last time.

After the Nurses' Ball, Sabrina and Nathan had discussed the song and what it had meant to her and Patrick. Nathan admitted he was jealous and how seeing them on the stage together woke him up to their bond and made him question his ability to compete. Sabrina assured him that he wasn't competing – she loves him and wants to be with him, not Patrick. Although Nathan accepted her explanation on the surface, Sabrina could tell that he wasn't quite himself.

Patrick had continued since the Ball to weasel his way back into Sabrina's heart – and life. Suddenly, he needed a lot of help with Emma, who Patrick knew was the chink in her armor. Patrick kept asking her to watch Emma or help him out by taking her here or there and then he would magically have a cancelled appointment or changed schedule and show up wherever they were. After apologizing for the "inconvenience" he would make up for it by turning on his charm and inviting her to stay with them for whatever activity they were at. She knew that he was doing this to remind her what it was like to be a family with him and Emma, which was working better than Sabrina would have liked to admit.

One afternoon about two weeks ago, Sabrina was on her way to work and decided to take the stairs down to her car. As she was going down, Patrick entered the stairwell and started coming up. Even though she had tried to avoid him by claiming to be running late for work, he kept delaying her. Whenever she stepped forward, he somehow maneuvered her backward until her back was against the wall and his body was flush against hers. Being sandwiched between Patrick and the wall brought Sabrina's passionate memories back to the forefront of her mind. With his hands against the wall on either side of her head, Patrick leaned in and whispered words of love along with all the other things he knew were guaranteed to turn her on before kissing her neck in the spot she liked so much. As she melted against him, they ended up in a devouring kiss that sent liquid fire circulating through her body. She had been completely immersed in Patrick when a stairwell door below them opened and pulled her back to reality. It took every ounce of strength Sabrina had to push Patrick away from her. Trembling with lust and actually late for work, Sabrina bid a hasty retreat.

After the incident in the stairwell, Sabrina thought Patrick would give her some space, but he wouldn't relent. So, Sabrina did her best not to be alone with him and enlisted the unwitting help of Felix and Liz as chaperones at work and stuck to Nathan's side like glue otherwise. Although she could handle just about anything, Sabrina believed in the advantage of a strategic retreat when it came to Patrick's full-on assault on her senses.

* * *

Patrick was ecstatic for the first time in months. Ever since his "grand gesture" at the Nurses' Ball, he could tell he had broken through Sabrina's defenses. Patrick knew he still had a long way to go, but he was happy with his strides so far, thanks in large part to Emma. He knew that Emma was Sabrina's weak link, so he exploited it whenever he could to get her to spend time with them and remember what it was like to be a family. While Patrick would never "use" his daughter, he knew her existence was a large factor that worked in his favor and he wasn't above playing to his strengths in the war for Sabrina's love.

He convinced Sabrina a few times that he needed her help getting Emma to activities and then he would magically appear with what even he admitted were lame excuses for being mixed up on his dates and times. Since Sabrina couldn't chastise him in front of Emma, who was always happy to spend time with both of them, she was always swayed to stay. When they were together, he knew that Sabrina remembered the good times they had shared as a family before Robin reappeared. Patrick kenw that the three of them were meant to be back together, but he could not figure out how to convince Sabrina of that. If he got too close or tried to talk about it with her, Sabrina shut him out – and he literally saw her defenses go back up.

One afternoon Patrick hit pay dirt when he managed to run into Sabrina in the stairwell of their apartment building. Of course Sabrina claimed to be in a hurry, but he knew that she wasn't because her shift wasn't due to start for a while and Sabrina was always early. Patrick didn't know when he would get another opportunity, so he decided show her what they could have again if she would only let herself believe in it. On the landing, Patrick stealthily managed to corner her. When he finally had Sabrina sandwiched between the wall and his body, Patrick sighed with pleasure at the way they fit perfectly together in all the right places as if they were made for each other. If he had any doubts about his decision to end things with Robin (which he didn't), they were obliterated the moment he had her against him.

They locked eyes before he began whispering loving and naughty things in her ear. As he feasted on the sweet spot on her neck, he felt her defenses fall, so he pulled her into his embrace for a kiss that he hoped would remind Sabrina how good they always were together. Patrick was completely lost in Sabrina when he heard the door open. At that, Sabrina came to her senses and pushed him away. As they stood there gasping for breath and emotional control, Patrick knew she was going to bolt rather than face her re-awakened feelings.

Instead of giving Sabrina space and time, Patrick continued his assault to win her back at full force and was actually encouraged when she developed the sudden inability to do anything alone. At work, Sabrina made sure she was with Felix or Elizabeth. At home, she kept Nathan close whenever she could. Patrick felt it was just a matter of time until he broke down her defenses…and he was looking forward to the reward.


	16. Chapter 16

It was the Fourth of July and Patrick was eager to see Sabrina even if Nathan was going to be with her. He literally could have kissed Emma for inviting Sabrina to their picnic in the park, knowing that Sabrina wouldn't be able to refuse her. Patrick hoped to use the picnic to prove to Sabrina how over Robin he was romantically. He still loved Robin and knew that he always would, but he wanted a life with Sabrina and Emma, not her. With the divorce in process, things between him and Robin were actually amicable. Aside from needing to co-parent Emma, neither he nor Robin wanted to lose each other again, so they decided to remain friends. It was part of the reason he and Robin, who was bringing Emma later, decided to have this picnic with Mac, Felicia, Anna and Duke.

Sabrina came, alone, shortly after he got there. Emma hadn't arrived yet, so he seized the opportunity to get some one-on-one time with Sabrina.

"Sabrina" Patrick said as he walked over to meet her

"Hello, Patrick," she said nervously. "Um, where's Emma?"

"Oh, she will be here shortly – Robin is bringing her in a little while."

"Robin?" She asked. "Maybe I should go…"

"No, Sabrina. It's fine. Robin knows you are coming because it has been all Emma could talk about since she invited you. Please, don't go."

"Ok. I'll stay, if you're sure Robin won't mind."

"She won't. Trust me," Patrick said reassuringly. "So," he hedged, "where's Nathan?"

"Working," Sabrina said disappointedly. "But he promised to be here in time for the fireworks."

Patrick was disappointed at the way Sabrina lit up when she said Nathan would be by later. It had been a long time, too long, since Sabrina had smiled like that about him and he hated it.

He and Sabrina took a seat at a nearby picnic table and, after some initial awkwardness, fell into a nice rhythm of conversation about everything and anything. They had been chatting for a while when an Emma-sized bulldozer plowed into Sabrina with a fierce hug.

"Sabrina! You came!"

"Of course, honey. I promised, didn't I?"

Patrick was choked up at the sight of Sabrina and Emma's interaction, which reminded him of last year's picnic and the lovely time the three of them had together. After a few moments, he looked up and noticed Robin watching the two with a sad smile while she stood by the entrance with Nik Cassadine and his son Spencer. Nicholas and Robin were holding hands and Patrick was a little shocked, but otherwise unaffected. He was glad for them if they were headed in a romantic direction considering how close they had gotten since Nik found her on Cassadine Island.

* * *

Sabrina was apprehensive about going to the park for July 4th. If Emma hadn't been the one to invite her, she would have declined; but, Sabrina was sure that Emma issued the invitation on her own (without any nudges from Patrick), so she didn't have the heart to let her down. Sabrina had been doing her darndest since the stairwell incident to stay clear of Patrick, so she was bummed when Nathan had to work and she had to go alone. Although part of her admitted to using Nathan as a shield from Patrick's advances, the rest of her really did love him and want to spend the day with him.

When she got there, Emma was nowhere in sight, but her whole extended family was there. Sabrina's heart skipped a beat when she eyed Patrick dressed down in a polo shirt, khaki's and sneakers and sporting a 5 o'clock shadow, as she had always loved him best when he was at ease and casual. Her happiness faded a little when Patrick told her that Robin would be bringing Emma. She hadn't been around Robin since the day in the hospital and she was concerned about how things would go between the three of them now that Patrick was openly pursuing her, especially at what was clearly a family event. When Sabrina looked up from Emma's sneak attack, she saw Robin standing by the entrance holding Nicholas Cassadine's hand. From the looks of things, they seemed to be more than friends. Patrick looked a little shocked, but not disappointed or angry, as Sabrina thought deep down he would be.

Sabrina, Emma and Patrick enjoyed a nice dinner together on one of the picnic blankets he had brought. Although Robin's entire family was there, Sabrina surprisingly didn't feel as out of place as she had thought she would and she was having a lovely time. After dinner, but before the fireworks, Emma went to play with Spencer and Sabrina and Patrick were left alone on the blanket. Sabrina went to get up, too, but Patrick stopped her.

"Patrick?"

"Sabrina," he said as he looked into her eyes. "I love you, too."

At his admission, Sabrina replayed last year's confessions of love in her head and was frozen in her spot beside him as she realized he was doing the same thing. Just as Patrick, who had been absently twirling a strand of her hair in his fingers, was about to pull her toward him for a kiss, Emma squealed "Nathan!" At that, Sabrina guiltily jumped apart from Patrick and turned to see Nathan holding Emma in his arms and looking down on them questioningly.

* * *

Nathan was not happy, but he was trying hard not to show it for Emma's sake. As much as he wanted to lay Patrick out for making yet another move on Sabrina, he didn't want to ruin Emma's holiday by beating up her father, however justified said beating may be. Nathan knew that Patrick had continued to step up his efforts to win Sabrina back and he was slowly breaching the defenses she had so carefully placed on her heart when he broke it. Nathan wanted to be supportive of Sabrina and give her a chance to sort through her feelings, but it was killing him to do so when he just wanted to punch Patrick and carry Sabrina home and convince her that he is the only man she needs.

When Emma had invited them to the picnic, neither he nor Sabrina had the heart to turn her down. He assumed Patrick had put her up to it despite Sabrina's claim to the contrary, so he was bummed when he had to work because Nathan knew that Patrick would try to get Sabrina alone – again. Based on the guilty look in Sabrina's eyes and the triumphant one in Patrick's, Nathan knew he had walked in on something.

"So…" he said cautiously as he put Emma down, "What did I miss?"

When Patrick went to open his mouth, Sabrina cut him off with a scathing look and said, "Nathan… You're here? I thought you wouldn't get here until the fireworks started."

"I got off early," Nathan said pointedly with a glance at Patrick.

At that, Sabrina jumped up from the blanket and rushed to his side. "I'm so glad you're here. I missed you," she said with a bright smile.

"Are you sure? Things looked intense between you two."

"Yes. Absolutely," Sabrina said with conviction. "Patrick and I were just reminiscing about _the past_."

At that, Nathan saw Patrick flinch. Sabrina then grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to a bench at the edge of their section of the park.

* * *

Robin saw the scene between Patrick, Sabrina and Nathan and knew that the situation was just as she had predicted months ago. Although Patrick had stepped up his efforts to win Sabrina back, they weren't going as well as he had believed they would. While Patrick did seem to be making headway, Robin could tell that Sabrina was very much in love with Nathan considering the look of fury she gave Patrick when he attempted to interject with his version of events. Patrick wasn't used to losing and it seemed like Sabrina wasn't likely to give in completely to his advances anytime soon. After Sabrina ushered Nathan to a bench nearby, Robin made her way over to Patrick.

"Hey."

"Hey, Robin."

"You okay?"

"Yeah… Just frustrated. I don't understand why she is fighting me so hard…" he said, dejectedly. At that, Patrick grew quiet, as if he was unsure of continuing.

"Patrick, you can talk to me. We're fine."

"I know, Robin. I just don't want to, I dunno, rub it in or whatever," he said, shaking his head.

Before Robin could reply, they were distracted by Sabrina's Emma-like squeal of excitement.

* * *

Patrick heard Sabrina's excited squeal and looked over at the couple, who had gotten to their feet. Sabrina was in Nathan's arms and he was spinning her around. Patrick didn't know what was going on, but he feared whatever it was didn't bode well for him.


	17. Chapter 17

As Sabrina walked Nathan to a nearby bench, she thought about the near miss with Patrick. She couldn't believe that she had allowed herself to get so caught up with Patrick that she had been unaware of Nathan's arrival. When he nearly caught her and Patrick kissing, Sabrina was yanked back to reality, embarrassed and guilty. How could she disrespect Nathan and the relationship they had built by continuously allowing Patrick to get under her skin? It wasn't fair to anyone, least of all her. Patrick had his chance and blew it and Nathan deserved her full attention and fidelity. It was because of this that Sabrina shut Patrick down with her "past" comment and led Nathan away.

When they sat down on the bench, Sabrina could feel the anger emanating from Nathan. She knew that, although he'd been more than patient with Patrick's quest to win her back, even he had his limits. Sabrina could see the hurt and confusion in Nathan's eyes and she hated that she was the cause of it. Nathan had not done anything other than support and love her and she owed him the same.

"I'm glad you're here," she said again.

"Are you? Really?" he asked incredulously, "Because it seemed to me that you weren't missing me all that much."

"Nathan…"

"I knew this was a bad idea," he continued as he shook his head. "I just knew that he would try something and confuse you even more. GOD! I just want to punch him…"

Sabrina grabbed Nathan by the shoulders and said, "Nathan, I love you for wanting to defend me, but it isn't necessary. If anything, he made things clearer for me."

"How so?"

"I admit that he has been getting to me since the Nurse's Ball, but, today, seeing you like this, made me snap out of it. I love Emma and a piece of me will always love Patrick, but the life we had together doesn't exist anymore. _Our_ life does, and I don't want to lose it," Sabrina said, as she leaned into Nathan.

At that, Nathan pulled her hands into his and confessed, "Sabrina, I don't want to lose you. You are the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thought in my mind before I go to sleep. When we aren't together, I miss you and when we are, I don't want to leave you. As Sabrina cried, he continued, "I'm in too deep, Sabrina, so if there is a chance you are going to break my heart for him, do it now…"

Touched by his admission, Sabrina gripped him tightly. "Nathan, honey, I am not going to break your heart. Our life together means the world to me. I found you when I least expected it and, because of you, I found the strength to carry on after losing Patrick and my son and be happy again. I love _you," _she said as she pulled him toward her for a kiss. "I want us."

After they came up for air, Sabrina was surprised when Nathan whispered "Marry me."

"What?"

"I said 'Marry me', Sabrina. I know it's impulsive, but our entire relationship has been about living in the present and taking leaps of faith. We love each other and don't want to live without each other so why not?

* * *

Nathan thought maybe he had pushed Sabrina too far too fast when she didn't answer his question. Although his proposal was impulsive, the sentiment behind it wasn't. He loved Sabrina and wanted to be with her forever. He had actually been thinking a lot about their relationship since the Nurse's Ball and was scared to death at the thought of losing Sabrina. Not only would he be lost without her, Nathan was worried that Patrick would rip her heart to shreds again if she went back to him. It bothered Nathan that Patrick took Sabrina for granted while he pined for his not-so-dead wife and that it took really losing her for the guy to step up and realize what a colossal fool he'd been. Nathan, on the other hand, never took Sabrina for granted. She was everything he never knew he always wanted – and he made sure she knew it every day.

His heart was beating out his chest with anticipation at her silence when he was surprised by her whispered "Yes."

"What? Was that a yes?" he asked, hopeful.

When she responded with a resounding "Yes!", Nathan pulled her to her feet and showed her with kisses as he spun her around happily.

* * *

Patrick knew that whatever was happening between Nathan and Sabrina didn't bode well for him. Before he could go ask, Emma ran to Sabrina and Nathan.

"Sabrina?" Emma asked expectantly, "What's going on?"

Sabrina kneeled down. "Well, Emma, Nathan just asked me to marry him and I said yes."

"You're getting married?

"Yes, sweetie, we are."

Emma turned and looked over at him and Robin and then back to Sabrina. "But, what about daddy?" Confused, she asked, "Don't you love him anymore? Aren't we going to be a family again?"

As Emma teared up, Sabrina looked to him for help. Before he could say anything, she continued, "Emma, honey, I will _always_ love you and your daddy, but when your mommy came back, your daddy and I decided to just be friends."

At that, Emma pulled out of Sabrina's embrace and ran to him, crying, and looked up. "Daddy?"

Patrick, still reeling from Sabrina's news himself, did something he promised he would never do: lie to his daughter. He picked her up into his arms and backed Sabrina's story. "That's true, Emma. Sabrina and I are just friends ever since mommy came home."

"But you and mommy live in separate houses now, so why can't Sabrina stay with us? You love each other, don't you?"

Patrick sighed in frustration. "Yes, Emma, but it's not that simple."

Like a dog with a bone, Emma asked "Why?"

"Because Sabrina loves Nathan now. And, if we love Sabrina, we need to be happy for her, right?"

"I guess…"

"So," he said as he put her down. "Why don't you go over to Sabrina and give her a big happy hug?"

Patrick watched Emma walk over to Sabrina and give her a hug. It killed him to follow her example, but he did. He hugged Sabrina and shook Nathan's hand, all the while silently vowing to stop her from making a huge mistake.


	18. Chapter 18

As Patrick got ready for his afternoon shift at GH, he thought back over the past week. Congratulating Sabrina and Nathan on their engagement on the 4th had taken a toll on him. He'd been crushed when Sabrina accepted Nathan's proposal, but he put on a brave face for Emma's sake. She was hurt and confused and seeing him flip out would only have added to her distress. Luckily, he, Robin and Elizabeth had decided to surprise Emma and the boys with a trip to Disney for a week right after the holiday, so Emma didn't have much of a chance to mope over Sabrina and he was too busy wrangling children to dwell on what was happening at home. But, now that he was back, Patrick had come up with the perfect plan to stop Sabrina from going through with it. He just needed some time.

When he exited the locker room, he noticed Robin and Liz chatting at the nurses' station and looking at pictures of the trip. He was nearly at the station when Felix flew by him as if he were on fire and Patrick heard Sabrina's voice shout "FELIX, WAIT!" as she rushed after him. When he didn't stop, she implored, "Felix, please…" At that, Felix turned around to face his best friend with a look of hurt and anger Patrick had never seen before.

"How could you?"

"Felix, _please_, I said I was sorry. " As she noticed the group of people standing at the station, she asked, "Can we finish this conversation in private?"

Felix shook his head and said, "I don't know what else there is to say, Sabrina. I can't believe you would leave me out of a decision like that."

With a pointed glace at Patrick, Sabrina turned back to Felix and said, "Can you blame me, Fe? _Really_?"

When he didn't reply, Sabrina continued, "Look, I'm sorry I hurt you, but I did what I had to do. I couldn't take the risk… Not again."

When Felix looked at Patrick and then back to Sabrina with resignation, Patrick realized he must have had something to do with whatever the friends were discussing, though he had no clue what it was.

Felix shrugged and said, "Alright, I guess not. Lord knows that wouldn't have been fun for me again either." As he took her hands in his he scolded, "But, girl, you had better NEVER do anything like that to me again."

Sabrina smiled, "Don't worry, Fe. I don't plan on it."

After the friends hugged, Elizabeth made her way over to them and asked if everything was okay as Patrick and Robin looked on. But, before Felix or Sabrina could answer, the elevator dinged and Nathan, holding a long-stemmed red rose, got off. When Sabrina saw him, her face lit up and Patrick saw the tension from her disagreement with Felix leave her body.

Before Nathan could reach the group of people, Felix cornered him with the same look he'd given Sabrina earlier, to which Nathan responded with, "Look, Felix, I'm sorry. We should have told you."

Softening, Felix said, "Yes, you should have; but, as long as you NEVER hurt her, we'll be cool."

"I'm not planning to." Nathan declared as Sabrina made her way over to him and stepped into his embrace, much to Patrick's chagrin.

Patrick got nauseous as he watched the woman he loves accept the rose from Nathan with a kiss that made Felix, Liz and even Robin sigh. When the two finally came up for air, Nathan told Sabrina that they needed to get going or they would be late. Before they could leave, though, Elizabeth stopped them.

"Ok, what is going on with the three of you? Something must have happened while I was gone."

"Oh, Elizabeth, I'm so sorry," Sabrina said, "I meant to ask you about your trip and completely forgot. How was it? Did the kids have fun?"

"Yeah, it was great, but clearly the excitement was here. What's going on Sabrina?"

Patrick saw Sabrina look up to Nathan questioningly. When he shrugged his shoulders, she glanced at Felix, who had been staring at him like the Chesire cat ever since Elizabeth inquired what was going on, and got what seemed to be a slight nod of approval. So, Sabrina focused back on Elizabeth, took a deep breath as if steeling herself and said, "Well, Elizabeth, the reason Felix and I were fighting was because he was mad that Nathan and I eloped without him."

As Elizabeth and Robin gasped in shock, Patrick, who'd managed to stay silent during the entire exchange, interjected with a deadly "What did you say?"


	19. Chapter 19

Although Robin had gasped in shock at Sabrina's announcement, she wasn't actually all that surprised that Sabrina and Nathan eloped. It made complete sense to her that Sabrina would want to avoid the possible drama of another interrupted wedding because there was absolutely no way in hell Patrick would sit idly by while Sabrina married another man if he knew the wedding was happening. The fact that Patrick was so shocked by this turn of events showed Robin that he still didn't realize how much his actions the night of the non-wedding had damaged Sabrina. Because Sabrina was "Sabrina", she handled the breakup and aftermath with a level of class and dignity that Robin knew few other people could or would have. However, looking at Sabrina's reaction to Patrick's question, Robin feared that the band of her self-restraint may have finally snapped.

On the other hand, Robin also knew Patrick better than anyone, so she was worried over his tone of voice. It was a combination of fury, disbelief and pain that Robin had rarely ever heard in all their years together. Once Patrick had decided to win Sabrina back, he never doubted for a moment that he would succeed. Robin knew that Patrick believed he would be able to leverage his past with Sabrina and her love of Emma to ultimately push Nathan from her life. He couldn't believe that Sabrina wouldn't want him in the end, so now that he was faced with the reality of their marriage, he couldn't process it.

Robin watched Sabrina step out of Nathan's embrace and turn to face Patrick head-on. "I said that Nathan and I eloped. We're married, Patrick."

"When?" he asked angrily.

"Last week," she replied coldly, not offering further information.

"How could you do this, Sabrina? What about us?"

At that, Sabrina turned away from Patrick and began pacing and rambling in Spanish. Robin didn't know what she was saying, but it wasn't hard to figure out that Sabrina was pissed as hell. Both Felix and Nathan tried to calm her down, but couldn't. Eventually, she threw her hands in the air and turned to Patrick with an anger Robin was sure few people had ever seen from Sabrina.

"What 'us', Patrick?" she spat. "There hasn't been an 'us' since you humiliated me at the altar!" Pointing at Robin, Sabrina continued, "We were one second away from being married and you LEFT ME THERE to run to and kiss HER in front of everyone!"

As Patrick, clearly shocked by her outburst, tried to interject, Sabrina held up her hand to stop him. "No. You listen. Do you have ANY IDEA how much that hurt me? I gave you everything I had, but it was NEVER enough because I wasn't Robin. Carlos tried to warn me that your dead wife would always come first in your heart, but I refused to listen to him and ended up paying the price. Do you honestly believe that I would run back to you after that just because you say you changed your mind?"

"Sabrina…"

"Patrick, shut up!" she continued. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to see you with her? To get the pitying stares from nearly everyone we worked with? To wonder how Emma was but not be able to see her? To be ALONE and PREGNANT knowing my baby's father didn't want me?" Sabrina's voice broke as the anger transitioned to tears, "You promised me everything I ever wanted and then ripped it away with barely a second thought…."

During Sabrina's tirade, Nathan and Felix both moved to stand behind her for support. When she broke down, Nathan let Felix pull her into a comforting embrace as he faced Patrick, who stood motionless.

"Patrick, you had your chance and you blew it. Big time. Sabrina is my wife now. Stay the hell away from her." As Nathan turned to collect Sabrina from Felix, Patrick reached out to halt him and said, "Or what, Detective?"

Seeing that Nathan was one second away from decking Patrick, Robin moved between the two men. "Guys, this isn't the time or the place to do this." She looked at Nathan and then to a still sobbing Sabrina and said "Nathan. Please. Just take your wife home." After Nathan nodded in acquiescence and walked toward Sabrina and Felix, Robin turned toward Patrick. "Patrick, calm down. I know you are angry, but egging Nathan on isn't going to help your case with Sabrina."

As Elizabeth and Robin guided Patrick to a nearby chair in the waiting area, Patrick said, "I can't believe she is so angry. I thought she was fine…"

Elizabeth, who had been silent until now, chimed in, "How did you expect her to feel, Patrick? You abandoned her at the altar on her wedding day! Of course, she is going to be angry and hurt. Just because she never showed you the anger doesn't mean it wasn't there."

Patrick looked up at her and Elizabeth continued, "It took Felix, Carlos and me days to convince her to even get out of bed. She was completely devastated and humiliated. When we finally did, she insisted on switching to the graveyard shift so that she wouldn't have to see you and Robin together. When she found out she was pregnant, she was completely frantic. Even after you found out about the baby, it was hard for her to be around you. I know she loved your son, Patrick, but he was a constant reminder of everything she lost. Do you have any idea how much that tore her up inside?"

"I didn't know, Elizabeth." Patrick whispered as he shook his head, "I didn't know…"

"No, Patrick, I guess you wouldn't have known because you were too busy with your marriage, as you should have been. Looking back and forth between him and Robin, who had sat down next to Patrick, Elizabeth said, "I love you both, you know that, but Sabrina was the one who paid the highest price in all this. All she did was love you, Patrick, and she ended up with nothing. It wasn't until she met Nathan that Felix and I finally started to see glimpses of the happiness she used to have with you." Elizabeth then kneeled down to be eye level with him and said, "He really loves her, Patrick. He treats her well and never takes her for granted. She knows that she comes first with him, and, honestly, I think she will probably always doubt that with you. Until you can prove to her with more than words that she is the only person in your heart and that you want her happiness more than anything else, you don't stand a chance of getting her away from Nathan."

After Elizabeth left, Robin took Patrick's hand and said, "You asked me on the 4th why she was resisting you. Now you have your answer. The question is, what are you going to do about it?"

With that, Robin got up and walked away, leaving Patrick to his thoughts.


	20. Chapter 20

_Last week…_

As she left work, Sabrina couldn't believe how much her life had changed in one day. She hadn't expected Nathan witnessing the tense moment between her and a Patrick to end with a marriage proposal. Although the rational part of her thought she and Nathan were moving fast, the rest of her knew that they weren't considering how unconventional their relationship had been from the get-go. It was pretty late when they got home from the park the night before, so they didn't get to discuss any plans. All she knew was that after the last time, she wanted no part of a fancy public affair. Sabrina trusted that Nathan wouldn't back out of the wedding, but she didn't trust Patrick not to make a scene. A small ceremony would definitely be the way to go. She still had the dress Felix got her for her last wedding and, although it didn't feel "right" for that one, Sabrina knew that it was the dress she would eventually marry Nathan in when she tried it on that morning (after Nathan left for work, of course).

Nathan had called Sabrina earlier and told her he was working a double and would be home late, so she stopped at the grocery store on her way home. Hands full of bags, she unlocked the door to their apartment and was stopped in her tracks as she opened it – to Nathan, dozens of roses and an apartment lit by the glow of what must've been about 50 candles.

"Surprise." he said.

"Nathan, what's all this?" Sabrina asked, surprised, as she struggled not to drop all the bags.

He made his way over to her, grabbed the bags and put them on the floor. After kissing her hello, Nathan pulled her into the apartment and said, "Since my proposal yesterday was sudden, I decided to surprise you and do it over with the one I'd been planning."

At that, Nathan kneeled down and pulled out the most gorgeous ring Sabrina had seen and said, "Sabrina, I love you. You are everything I never knew I always wanted. You are the kindest and most resilient person I know and I am grateful to be a part of your life. If you let me, I will spend the rest of my life making sure every day of your life is better than the last. Will you marry me?"

At that, Sabrina, who had been silently crying tears of joy since he got down on bended knee, dropped to the floor with him, cupped his face in her hands and whispered, "Yes, Nathan, I'll marry you. I love you so much…"

The rest of Sabrina's words were cut off by their passionate kiss. After they broke apart, Nathan put the ring, clearly an antique, on her finger. "This ring was my grandmother's. I hope you like it."

"I love it!"

* * *

As Nathan pulled Sabrina up from the floor with him, he wondered how she would react to his other surprise. He walked her to the couch, where there was a small present on the coffee table amidst the candles.

"What's this?"

Smirking, Nathan said, "Open it and find out."

"OH MY GOD! Are these tickets to Juan's concert tomorrow night in Las Vegas? How did you get these?!" she asked, barely able to sit still.

Chuckling, he said, "Yep, they are. I called Juan earlier and he was able to set aside two front row tickets and backstage passes for us."

"I can't believe you did this… It's so sweet."

"Well, I admit I had an ulterior motive…" Nathan hedged. As Sabrina looked on curiously, he continued, "I was actually hoping that you would want to go to Vegas for the concert and pack that wedding dress you have stashed in the back of the closet." At her scolding look, he amended, "that I absolutely did not sneak any peeks at."

"You mean you want to get married while we are there?"

"Yeah, why not? When I talked to Juan, I found out that he has a few days off between shows and I thought it might be nice if he could give you away." When Sabrina was quiet, he backpedaled, "But, I understand if you just want to go to the concert and wait to get married. We can get married wherever and whenever else you want."

Nathan waited nervously as Sabrina contemplated the situation for what seemed like hours, but was really just a few moments, and was relieved when she smiled, jumped up from the couch and said, "No, I don't want to wait. Let's do it. Having Juan there will be perfect!"

"I was hoping you would say that. We're booked on the 5 a.m. flight, so you had better get packing…you need all the time you can get," he said with a wink.

Nathan was about to suggest she call Felix before packing, but was soon distracted by Sabrina expressing her happiness by the turn of events and forgot all about Felix…and packing for hours.

* * *

The whole flight to Las Vegas, Sabrina felt like she was forgetting something – as if she left the oven on – but she couldn't figure out what it was. When they landed and collected their luggage, Juan's driver was waiting for them. After stopping at the courthouse for a marriage license and a jeweler for rings, they made their way to The Flamingo. Juan was playing there that night and he had arranged with the hotel for them to have the honeymoon suite and VIP treatment as his personal guests. After brunch with Juan and his wife Becky, they met with the hotel wedding planner, who was happy to arrange everything for the following day. After a quick rest, since Sabrina and Nathan didn't get any sleep the night before, they went sightseeing. Sabrina was amazed at the constant hustle and bustle of the city and couldn't remember having a better time on vacation. They went for a late dinner with Juan and Becky after Juan's concert, which was amazing and made Sabrina very proud. Sabrina was surprised when Nathan insisted on leaving her with Becky in their suite while he bunked with Juan. Considering sleeping separate didn't help her last time, she didn't care as much this time; but, she knew that Nathan knew that deep down she wanted to stick to tradition.

Sabrina was apprehensive the morning of the wedding. Even though she knew when Nathan said on the phone that morning that nothing would stop him from marrying her, he actually meant it, she still felt like she wanted to throw up. Sabrina assumed that being humiliated at the altar would leave any girl gun-shy the second time around and tried to move past it as she and Becky got ready for the ceremony. Becky, who had become fast friends with Sabrina, gasped in delight when she saw the bride all decked out in her dress, which was an elegant lace ivory a-line gown. This time Sabrina decided to forgo the veil and wore her hair in a half up-do with a crystal tiara.

* * *

Nathan hoped that Sabrina would like the spot he and Juan chose for the ceremony: the Paradise Garden Falls at the Flamingo. He hoped that the circle of palm trees and peaceful waterfalls would remind her of Puerto Rico and calm the nerves he was certain she was having. When he saw her at the end of the aisle with Juan, he lost his breath at her beauty and silently thanked Patrick for being a moron. When Sabrina finally made it to him, the minister started

"On this lovely summer day, we gather to join Sabrina and Nathan in marriage. Who gives this woman to this man?"

"I do, happily." Juan said as he removed Sabrina's hand from his and placed it in Nathan's. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before moving to stand beside his wife.

"Excellent. It is my understanding that the couple has written their own vows. Sabrina, would you like to start?"

Smiling up at him, she said, "Nathan, last year I stood at another altar believing that all my dreams were about to come true. Little did I know that I was about to live out my worst nightmare. When we met, I was broken and you became my friend when I desperately needed one." After pausing to sniffle, she continued, "Because of you, I found the strength to face my pain and move on with my life. Before I knew it, you had taken over my heart and gave me a reason to be happy again. I love you, Nathan, and I love the life that we've built together. I can't wait to see where this leap of faith takes us."

Nathan was choked up by Sabrina's vows and needed a moment before he responded. "Sabrina, when you literally crashed into me the night we met I was instantly attracted to you, but I could tell that you were in pain and I felt compelled to make it better because I wanted to see you smile your beautiful smile. I wasn't looking for love when we got together, but it crept up on me a little at a time with every minute I spent in your presence. When you fell that horrible day at the hospital, I vowed to tell you how I felt because I couldn't take the risk of you not knowing how much I loved you for even a second longer. The happiest I have ever been is with you and I want to spend the rest of my life making you smile like you deserve to. I love you, Sabrina, with everything I have and all that I am."

Hands joined with Sabrina, Nathan listened as the minister read a poem and some Bible verses that he honestly didn't pay much attention to because he was focused on how Sabrina became more and more fidgety as the ceremony progressed. After they exchanged rings and the minister mentioned the "I do's", Sabrina began breaking out in a sweat. At that moment, he did two things 1) swore to deck Patrick – hard – the next time he saw him for doing this to her and 2) interrupted the minister.

"Reverend, would you mind if I do mine first?" The minister looked flustered by the break in tradition, but Sabrina visibly relaxed.

"I suppose that would be alright…. Nathan, do you take Sabrina to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love and to comfort her, in joy and in sorrow; to support and to care for her; to respect and to cherish her; to give of yourself; and, together with her, in the sight of God, to bring love to the lives of all those you touch?"

Without any hesitation, Nathan said "I do" as he squeezed her hands in reassurance.

The minister turned to Sabrina and said, "Sabrina, do you take Nathan to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love and to comfort him, in joy and in sorrow; to support and to care for him; to respect and to cherish him; to give of yourself; and, together with him, in the sight of God, to bring love to the lives of all those you touch?"

Smiling radiantly, Sabrina responded with a resounding "I do."

"Well then. I now pronounce you husband and wife! Nathan, you may kiss your bride."

Nathan didn't need any convincing to pull his wife to him for their first official kiss. Juan and Becky began clapping as he dipped Sabrina backward, which elicited a gasp of surprise that allowed him to deepen their kiss.

After receiving congratulations from Becky and Juan and posing for pictures, they all went to an intimate dinner in a private room nearby that was followed by a champagne toast. The whole time, Nathan couldn't take his eyes off of Sabrina, who he had never seen look so happy or relaxed. Eventually, he couldn't wait anymore and he and his wife said their goodbyes and made their way to their suite to begin their honeymoon.


	21. Chapter 21

_Still last week…_

Lying next to Nathan in bed in their suite, Sabrina dreamily stared up at her wedding rings. She was truly happy and everything was finally right in her life for a change. Aside from her mini panic attack, which Nathan stealthily averted, the ceremony was beautiful and it filled her heart with joy that she was able to share the occasion with Juan and Becky. At her wedding to Patrick, Felix was the only person truly there as her guest…

Suddenly, Sabrina shouted, "Oh my God! FELIX!"

Nathan, who was awakened by her shout, replied, "What?"

Sabrina looked over at Nathan and said with a groan, "I forgot to call Felix about the wedding. The whole time we were here, I felt like I forgot something, but I was so wrapped up in everything that I couldn't place it." Frowning, she sat up, put her head in her hands and said, "He's going to kill me."

Tugging at her hands in an effort to get her to lift her head and look at him, Nathan responded reassuringly, "Sabrina, he will be upset, but I think he will understand. It was my fault, too. I should have thought to include him. Do you want to call him?"

Sabrina mulled it over for a minute and then said, "No. I need to tell him in person. I owe him that much for everything he has done for me." She shook her head dejectedly and continued, "I'm such an idiot. How could I forget my best friend in the world? How?"

Nathan sat up and pulled Sabrina into a hug. "Honey, you don't have a malicious bone in your body. Felix will be hurt that he couldn't be here, sure, but he will understand you didn't do it on purpose." When Sabrina groaned again, Nathan pulled back and said, "Plus, he will be ecstatic that you had Juan to give you away and spend the day with you. Ultimately, he just wants you to be happy, Sabrina."

Sabrina shrugged and mumbled, "I know that; but, I still feel like a horrible friend."

"Well, you are."

At Nathan's comment, Sabrina gasped in shock. How could he agree with her? He is supposed to make her feel better about herself, not worse. As she was about to respond to chastise him, he hit her in the head with her pillow and laughed, "Just kidding, Mrs. West. I had to do something to pull you out of your slump."

Sabrina punched Nathan in the arm, but smiled. Leave it to Nathan to always know how to cheer her up and get her not to take things so seriously. When it came to his cases, Nathan was all business, but outside of the office, he was a goofball who never took himself too seriously or let her do so.

When she punched him, grabbed her and wrestled her back down onto the bed and tickled her until they were both laughing so hard they were crying. They sobered and Nathan kissed her hand and then smiled. "Try not to worry about Felix. It will be fine. He knows how much you love him."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for cheering me up, Nathan."

"I vowed yesterday to make you smile and I don't break my promises."

Sabrina knew that Nathan meant what he said. Throughout their relationship, he always backed up his words with actions and now that they were married, it was no exception. She trusted him and as long as there was trust between them, they could weather any storm. Since she didn't want to tell Felix about her marriage over the phone, Sabrina put him out of her mind and focused her attention on her new husband and, with the sultry smile he loved, showed him just how much she appreciated his efforts.

With the exception of saying goodbye to Juan and Becky, Sabrina and Nathan rarely left their suite during their remaining time in Las Vegas. Nathan knew that their bubble of happiness would pop once they got back to Port Charles and the news of their elopement spread, so Nathan made every effort to ensure that Sabrina would never regret eloping and would always remember their time in Las Vegas with fondness.

As they were packing to head back to reality, Sabrina shocked Nathan by suggesting they stop in New York City on the way home so that they could tell his family in person about their marriage. He and Sabrina had discussed his past, but not thoroughly. She knew that he was estranged from his parents, but that he still kept in touch with his younger brother, Andrew, a firefighter in the city and that he had been with his girlfriend right up until he quit the NYPD and moved to Port Charles. Fortunately for Sabrina, he'd never told her why he was estranged from his parents or the reason he and Megan broke up. Both were connected to the Nina Clay case, which had been re-relegated to the cold case pile. When Nathan couldn't prove that Silas or Ava were responsible for Nina's overdose and subsequent coma, he decided, after a long talk with Sabrina, to follow Anna's advice and drop his pursuit of the cold case. It really bothered him that he failed in getting justice for Nina, but there were current cases that needed his attention and Sabrina convinced him that pursuing Nina's case futilely while ignoring current cases left no one a winner and that Nina seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't want someone else to suffer at her expense. If Sabrina only knew how right she was...

"Nathan! Are you even listening?" Sabrina asked

"What?" he replied sheepishly, obviously busted.

"Sheesh! Married three days and I'm already being tuned out…. Anyway, I asked if you wanted to stop and see Andrew. I spoke to him last night while you were down in the casino and he's around and seemed excited when I said we might visit." When Nathan hesitated to answer, she pressed on. "It just doesn't seem fair not to let him know we got married in person."

Although he missed his brother, Nathan left his life in New York behind for a reason and he really didn't want to go back; but, Sabrina looked so excited to go that he just couldn't say no. "If you want to stop, Sabrina, we will."

* * *

Sabrina noticed that Nathan was quiet ever since she suggested stopping to tell Andrew in person about their marriage. It wasn't like him and she was worried. She knew that he was estranged from his parents, but figured there was little chance of running into them at the firehouse. She could tell how much he cared about his brother and the guys on the force by his tone of voice when he talked about them, just as she could tell that there was certainly no love lost between him and his parents or him and Megan, his ex. What little information she got out of him on them had practically been pried out. It was very strange to her that Nathan was so open with her regarding every other aspect of his life, but that he practically shut down, both mentally and emotionally, when his parents and Megan were brought up. She had a feeling in her gut that his breakup was a result of his, well, obsession, with closing the Clay case. When Nathan set his mind to something, nothing deterred him and she didn't think Megan could handle his constant and consuming involvement in the cold case. Despite Sabrina's best efforts, Nathan tactfully shut her down completely when the subject of his parents came up. So far, she had been unable to get anything out of him except that they still lived in the city and that they were no longer "close".

As she looked at Nathan dozing in the seat next to her, she thought about how glad she was that he chose to let go of the Clay case when he failed to find enough proof of Silas and Ava's involvement. She knew that he must have had some personal investment in the case for him to pursue it to the point of moving to Port Charles, but his lack of progress began taking a negative toll on him. When he stopped sleeping, she urged him to consider following Anna's suggestion to let it go. While he protested at first, he relented when she, on a hunch, asked him if Nina would be happy knowing that other people aren't getting justice because of her.

When they arrived in New York, Nathan and Sabrina stopped at his precinct for a few minutes so that he could catch up with his friends on the NYPD. It was clear to Sabrina that Nathan had been on the fast track to superstardom when he transferred out. While one or two people she met seemed almost annoyed at his return, the rest of the guys in his unit had clearly missed him. After saying their goodbyes, they headed to Andrew's station. Nathan and Andrew greeted each other in that special guy way where they pretend not to have missed each other even when it was clear as glass that they did. Nathan introduced her to Andrew as his wife.

"I'm sorry. What?" Andrew said, shocked.

"We're married, Drew. It's why we were in Vegas, more or less." Nathan elaborated.

"You're married?" Drew asked, clearly still shocked and skeptical.

"Yeah, why is that so hard to believe?"

"Well, Nate, I love you, bro, but, after Megan, I never thought you'd get married."

When Nathan gave him a look that screamed "Shut up!", Sabrina knew there was more to the story, but she decided to let it go. If Nathan was going to tell her what really happened, he would.

After exchanging pleasantries, Sabrina excused herself to go to the restroom and Nathan zeroed in on Drew.

"Did you have to act so shocked? And why the hell did you bring up Megan?"

"Well, I was shocked and, I'm sorry, bro, but I don't have nearly the poker face you do. I couldn't pretend I wasn't. And, speaking of Megan, she has been by – AGAIN – asking about you and where you are."

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing, Nate. I told her you were still out of town and I said I hadn't heard from you. She seems really intent on finding you, though, man. Have you told Sabrina everything?"

"Well, I can't lie to her. I told her about you and that Megan and I broke up before I moved here. I think she assumes it's because I was married to my work and Megan couldn't handle it."

"And our parents?"

"She knows we're estranged and that's it. Considering that I haven't spoken to them since I became a cop, I figure she doesn't need to know anything else."

Drew looked at Nate and was about to say something else, when Sabrina returned. Nathan once again cut him off and tried to put their conversation out of his mind as they made their way to the local pub for dinner and drinks. Nathan could tell by Sabrina's expressions that she was in awe of the city and wanted to stay longer. He, on the other hand, wanted to get the out as soon as possible before his two worlds collided.


	22. Chapter 22

_The Present..._

It had been a few days since Patrick found out about Sabrina's elopement. After the ugly scene at the hospital, where Sabrina pretty much tore him a new one, and his conversation with Elizabeth, Patrick was forced to do some serious soul searching. He knew that his decision to go back to Robin had hurt Sabrina, but he never really knew how much anger she was harboring toward him because she hid it so well. Sabrina and anger didn't mix. The only anger she'd ever shown him in the past was toward Britt, but that was mild in comparison to the tornado that stormed through the hospital the other day. If Patrick really thought about it, he was humbled by how Sabrina was able to be so angry at him but so compassionate as to let him go without a scene and wish him well with Robin. Even in the midst of her hurt and anger, she still loved him enough to want him to be happy even if it wasn't with her. Sabrina gave him unconditional friendship, affection and love during their relationship while he gave her only a fraction of what he was capable of – because he was too hung up on a "dead" woman to see the treasure he had in front of his face. If Patrick had taken the time to really think about Sabrina instead of himself, he would have realized how much being abandoned at the altar, dumped and pregnant had affected her. He now knew that she couldn't trust a word he said. He made her promises of love, family and a future and then broke them with, as she said, barely a thought about how it would affect her life. He merely felt sorry for "hurting" her and then went on to live the life that he thought he wanted more than anything while she suffered. As he walked down the hallway from his apartment to Sabrina's, Patrick now knew what he had to do if he had any hope of getting her back someday; but, he honestly didn't know if he was strong enough to follow through with it.

Patrick knocked on Sabrina and Nathan's door, which now had one of those corny wooden bears hanging on it holding a sign that said _The Wests_. He smiled because he knew that was all Sabrina's doing and then frowned because that bear should have been on his door and should have said _The Drakes_. Patrick was pulled out of his thoughts when Nathan answered the door, none too happy to see him.

"What do you want, Patrick? Sabrina is getting ready for her shift and I don't have the time or energy to deal with your bullshit today."

"Can you please get her?" Patrick asked in the least hostile voice he could muster. "It's important."

Nathan stared at him for a moment and then slammed the door in his face as he presumably went to get Sabrina. When the door opened again, Sabrina was standing there.

"Patrick," was all she said as she ushered him inside.

He focused on her and asked if they could talk, alone, for a few minutes, to which Nathan responded, "I'm not leaving. Say what you need to say and then get out." Nathan then turned to Sabrina and said, "I'll wait in the kitchen area. Call me if you need me."

When he and Sabrina were settled on the couch, she asked, "What's up? I have to leave for my shift soon."

Hating seeing her so cold toward him, but resigned to the fact that he'd finally managed to break her, he got on with what he came to say. "I wanted to let you know that I'm moving out of my apartment and back into the house. Robin is moving in with Nicholas on Spoon Island and we decided it would be best for Emma to continue to be able to split her time between the house she grew up in and Wyndermere."

"Ok. What does this have to do with me, exactly?"

"I'm backing off, Sabrina. After the other day, I realized that you don't trust me because I've promised you so much and never followed through. I can say how much I love you and want you, but you won't believe it. So, I'm going to prove to you how much I love you by letting you go. You're happiness really is everything to me and if Nathan makes you happy, I'm not going to stand in your way."

Surprised, Sabrina said, "Wow, Patrick. I didn't expect this. I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything. It is what it is. I still want to have you in my life, even if it is as a friend, but if you – and Nathan – aren't comfortable with that, then we'll just be co-workers. "

Patrick could tell that Sabrina was thrown by his speech, so when she told him she would need to think it over, he accepted it. As they sat there staring at each other and unsure of what the next move should be, Nathan, who he knew had been listening from the kitchen, came over and told her she should probably leave if she wanted to be on time for her shift at the hospital. Patrick stood up when Sabrina did and went to leave, but Nathan gave him a look that highly suggested he stick around.

* * *

When Patrick showed up at their door, Nathan had to fight the urge to punch his lights out. He deserved it not only for causing Sabrina's near panic attack at the wedding, but for all the crap he pulled since he decided he wanted her back. However, Nathan held himself in check considering that Sabrina basically tore him a new one, finally, at the hospital the other day, which likely hurt Patrick more than his fists ever could. Nathan did, however, get some enjoyment out of slamming their door in his face while he got Sabrina, who was still in the bathroom after her shower.

"Sabrina," he said as he poked his head in.

"Yeah?" she asked absentmindedly as she finished dressing for work.

"Patrick's at the door. He wants to talk to you. Do you want to see him?"

"Not really, but I'll talk to him." Nathan stepped back as she exited the bathroom and followed her to the door as she mumbled, "I can't wait to hear what he has to say."

Nathan continued to be amazed by Sabrina, who viewed the scene at the hospital as cathartic. Although it was emotionally draining for her, she told him she wished she'd had the balls to ream Patrick out months ago. As he and Felix sat in rapt attention, she declared that Patrick was a clueless moron who didn't know a good thing when he had it (no argument there) and she refused to feel sorry for him over her elopement. For months she felt as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest and stomped on; so, if her tirade made him feel even a fraction of that, then turnabout was fair play. It was the closure she desperately needed to move forward with her life; and, after that, Patrick never came up in any of their conversations. Sabrina was finally done letting that man get to her, and Nathan couldn't have been happier.

Nathan listened to their conversation and couldn't believe it took Sabrina reaming Patrick out for him to realize the depth of the pain he caused her at the end of their relationship. If he loved and knew her like he claimed to, wouldn't he have known what the breakup did to her and what losing him cost her? Nathan heard the stories about how Patrick used to be an arrogant jackass until Robin's love changed him, but, as far as he was concerned, the guy was still arrogant. He was so caught up in his own feelings on the Robin debacle, the lost baby and his change of heart that he didn't really give Sabrina's much of a thought. Patrick just assumed that Sabrina would welcome him back with open arms as if nothing happened because she loved him. Unfortunately, Nathan learned the hard way that not even love could overcome certain obstacles.

After Patrick finished his speech and the conversation lulled, Nathan reminded Sabrina about leaving for her shift. She still had time, but he knew she abhorred being late. As she hurried to grab her stuff, Nathan halted Patrick from leaving. It was long past time the two of them had a conversation.

Nathan kissed Sabrina goodbye and she made her way to the door, clearly expecting Patrick precede her out. When Patrick didn't move, Sabrina looked at Nathan questioningly. He gave her a reassuring look and she gave him one that said, "If you say so. Just don't kill him." When the door closed behind her, Nathan turned to Patrick and said, "Did you really mean it? Are you going to back off or is this just another ploy to win her back?"

"It's not a joke. I meant it; but, I swear to you, Nathan, if you break her heart, there will be no place you can hide. "

Insulted, Nathan said, "You're one to talk, Patrick. I think you have the market cornered on breaking Sabrina's heart."

Patrick, who'd been defensive, sobered and said, "Yes, I guess I do; but, the thing is that you can do way more damage than I ever could."

"How do you figure?"

"Nathan, you are to Sabrina what she is to me. You are her lifeline. She fell in love with you when she least expected it. You pulled her out of a very dark, painful, lonely place and made her want to live again when she didn't believe it was possible. If she loses you she will be lost and completely broken – like I am now. "

Nathan was surprised by Patrick's keen insight on Sabrina, but still couldn't help responding with, "If you're broken, it's because you brought it on yourself and, frankly, you deserve it after what you put her through. "

"I won't deny that. I was a fool. I was so focused on clinging to the past that I let the future slip though my fingers. Letting Sabrina go was the worst mistake of my life. One I won't make again. Ever."

"Meaning?"

"I will be watching you, Nathan. If I see Sabrina is unhappy in your marriage, all bets are off. I want her more than I've ever wanted anything in my life and I will fight for her – and win."

Nathan bristled at Patrick and his arrogance. "Sabrina trusts me, Patrick. She knows that she is the only woman in my heart and that I would never hurt her the way you did."

Patrick smiled knowingly and said, "That may be true, Nathan, but I believe she is meant to be with me, not you. She may be the only woman in your heart, but I can guarantee that you aren't the only man in hers."

Patrick then turned on his heel and left, leaving Nathan reeling in his wake.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

As Patrick sat at Kelly's waiting for Robin and Emma to show up, he thought about the last three months. Backing off of fighting for Sabrina was almost as hard as grieving for Robin had been, but he knew it was the right thing to do. Letting Sabrina go to live her life with Nathan the way she had done for him and Robin was painful, but it was really the only way that she could ever being to trust him again- and believe that when he says he loves her and that she comes first he means it. He and Sabrina had reverted into a friendship like the one they had when she was pregnant. She was friendly around him, but they never discussed their personal lives, only hospital business, Emma and friends. Their past relationship and her marriage were off limits and he had to respect her boundaries because having her in his life as a friend was preferable to not having her at all. He was miserable – still – without her. The satisfaction he'd gotten from having the last word in his conversation with Nathan was cold comfort to the loneliness that enveloped him. Only being back in his house with Emma made it bearable.

Emma split her time between the house, where they had easily resumed their daddy-daughter routine, and Wyndermere. She loved having Spencer as a brother to play with and had grown to adore Nicholas. When Emma stayed on Spoon Island with Robin and Nik, Patrick tried to focus on work to stay busy and keep his mind off missing Sabrina. Patrick was brought out of his thoughts when Emma arrived and ran into his arms shouting "Daddy!"

"Hey, Ems! I missed you," Patrick said as he hugged her.

"I missed you, too, Daddy," she said as she sat on his lap.

"Did you have fun with Mommy?"

"Yep!" Emma then looked at Robin and asked, "Mommy, can I tell him?"

When Robin shook her head yes, Emma blurted, "Mommy and Nicholas are getting married and I get to be flower girl!"

Patrick looked from Emma to Robin and said, "Wow. That's really great."

"Isn't it the best?! The only thing that would be even better would be you and Sabrina back together. Then we could ALL be a family."

Before Patrick could respond, Sabrina and Nathan came in the door of Kelly's holding hands and laughing. As Emma excitedly called out Sabrina's name, Patrick frowned because, from the looks of things, he wouldn't get to fight for Sabrina anytime soon.

"Hi, Emma," Sabrina said as she pulled kneeled down and pulled her into a hug. She looked up and said, "Patrick. Robin."

Emma moved on from Sabrina to hug Nathan and then spilled the news of Robin's engagement. "…and I get to be flower girl again!"

At that, Sabrina looked toward Patrick, who just shrugged, and then turned her attention back to Emma and told her that Robin was lucky because she was the best flower girl ever. Afterwards, Sabrina congratulated Robin and she and Nathan found themselves a table a few feet away.

Robin wasn't sure how Patrick would take the news of her engagement. By all accounts, they were in a good place. Robin had feared that the dissolution of the marriage would cost her Patrick, but it never happened. Once they realized that too much had changed in the time she'd been gone to continue as a couple, the pressure eased and they formed a comfortable friendship. Patrick had even confided in her about how miserable he was without Sabrina and how much it had cost him to let her go, but he knew that Sabrina took her marriage vows seriously and he didn't want her to resent him for breaking up her marriage. Continuing to pursue her would not help him in his quest to rebuild their trust. Patrick insisted, however, that Nathan was too good to be true. He just had to wait for him to screw up and open the door for Patrick to waltz back through. So far though, Nathan seemed to be holding up his end of the bargain, much to Patrick's chagrin. After Nathan and Sabrina went over to their table and Emma went to the counter for a milkshake, Robin sat across from Patrick.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. It is what it is, so I have to be." Patrick sighed and then congratulated her on the engagement. "So, when is the big day?"

"We were thinking New Year's Eve, but we'll be having a small engagement party around Thanksgiving. I hope you will come, Patrick."

"Wouldn't miss it. It sounds great, Robin. If you're happy, then that's all that matters. You deserve it – after everything."

"Thanks, Patrick." Robin then tilted her head toward Sabrina and said, "So do you."

Patrick nodded and collected Emma. "Come on, Ems. We've gotta get a move on."

"Ok, Daddy." When she reached their table, she hugged Robin and said, "Bye, Mommy. Love you."

As the duo headed out the door, Emma stopped and shouted, "Bye, Sabrina!" Sabrina looked up from her conversation with Nathan, smiled and waved. She briefly nodded to Patrick and then returned her attention to her husband.

As Patrick walked out the door, Robin felt awful for him. All she ever wanted, both in life and "death", was for him to be happy and she hated that he wasn't – and that she'd played role in causing that. When she'd seen Patrick and Sabrina in the lab and then at the wedding, Robin knew that they were more in love than Patrick probably even realized, but she didn't care. He had been hers first and if she hadn't been stolen away, they would still have been together. When she finally made it home, all she wanted was what was ripped from her, not realizing that Patrick (and Emma to some extent) wasn't hers anymore. Looking back, she should have walked away the night Patrick found out about the baby. It was obvious as she watched him practically doubled over in pain that he loved and wanted his baby – and Sabrina. If Robin had been strong enough to walk away, Sabrina would never have fallen in love with Nathan and they would be together. Ever since Nicholas found her, they'd had a connection; so, more likely than not, she would have ended up exactly where she was today – whole, in love and happy with him. It would have saved everyone so much heartache, she thought as she made her way to the door.

Sabrina smiled and waved at Robin as she left. The two of them would never be "besties" due to their history, but they'd managed to carve out a friendship. Once Sabrina truly let go of Patrick (the night of her tirade), she and Robin began chatting more at work. Conversations about hospital gossip or Emma's milestones soon turned more personal. She was really happy that Robin found peace with Nicholas. No one deserved to be ripped away from their family and held captive, so Sabrina was glad Robin was able to move on. Although she hid it well, Sabrina accidentally found out that Robin was still having PTSD episodes when she caught Obrecht, who was free thanks to Victor Cassadine, taunting Robin in the lab. Sabrina noticed that Robin was terrified, so she kicked Obrecht out in the kindest way possible, and comforted her. Robin refused to let her call Patrick because she and Nik were dealing with the issue. She did, however, ask Sabrina to help her keep Emma away from that woman, which was an easy request for Sabrina to grant her. Sabrina smiled as she remembered how they went out for drinks that night to help Robin get her mind off of Obrecht and ended up comparing notes on Patrick. It was the one time they both let their guard down and they had a blast, though they knew Patrick would not have been amused.

"Earth to Sabrina" Nathan said as he waved a hand in front of her face.

"Sorry…what?"

"What's on your mind? You're a million miles away."

"I was just thinking about Robin. I'm glad for her."

"Are you? Really?"

"Yeah. Nothing that happened was malicious. We've actually become decent friends. I hope it works out for her with Nicholas." Smiling, she added, "Did you see how over the moon Emma was?"

"Uh-huh. I also saw how unaffected Patrick was."

"Honestly, I was surprised; but, I guess he really meant it when he told me they were over."

"How does that make you feel?"

"Nathan, I will always care for Patrick. I hate seeing him unhappy, so I am glad he is okay with Robin remarrying. But, that said, I can't fix him this time because I can't give him what he needs."

"That's a relief."

Sabrina leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Trust me, you have nothing to worry about."

Sabrina thought more about Patrick's speech during their drive home. When he said he would stay away, she didn't believe him; but, so far, he had been true to his word. It really did kill her to see him miserable, but she couldn't fix it because she was the problem. She would always love him, but she was finally happy after months of hell and she wasn't about to mess it up. Sabrina knew Patrick would wait for her, but hoped he would eventually give up and move on. If he didn't, she would convince him to. He deserved to be happy. It's what she always wanted for him from the moment they met. He had too much love to give to spend his life alone.

Sabrina was still thinking about Patrick as she exited the elevator behind Nathan; but, was pulled out of her thoughts when he stopped dead in his tracks, which caused her to ram into him. When she looked around him to see what made him stop, she saw a woman, drop dead gorgeous and dressed to the nines, standing at their door.

"Megan?" he asked, clearly shocked to see her.

"Hello, lover," the woman responded with a diabolical smile.


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

When Nathan saw Megan standing at their door, he put his arm out protectively to stop Sabrina from coming out from behind him.

"What the hell are you doing here, Megan?" he asked venomously.

Unfazed, she stated, "You're a hard man to track down, Nate."

"Yeah, that was on purpose. How did you find me? Drew?"

She stalked toward him. "No. Drew's as loyal as they come. But, Bennett and Cole, well, they're another story."

"I knew stopping in New York was a bad idea…" Nathan muttered to himself as he shook his head and put his other hand out to stop her from coming closer.

"Seems not everyone in the precinct thought you were the best thing since sliced bread." Megan chuckled as she continued, "I didn't even have to persuade them to spill the beans…and share your happy news. Is this her?"

When Megan focused on Sabrina, Nathan practically growled. She recoiled. "Not happy to see me, lover?"

Through clenched teeth, Nathan asked, "What do you want, Megan?"

"Oh, you know…A little of this and a little of that."

"What does that even mean?" he asked exasperatedly, momentarily dropping his hand.

Taking advantage of the opening, Megan inched closer and brushed her hand along his cheek and purred, "All in due time, my love." She backed away and moved toward the elevator as Nathan pivoted with her to keep Sabrina behind him. Megan got on the elevator and, just before the doors closed, glared at Sabrina and said, "Hope you enjoyed your honeymoon sweetheart because, as of now, it's over."

Once the doors closed, Nathan ushered Sabrina into the apartment and locked the door.

"Nathan, what the hell was that? What is going on?" Sabrina asked, shaken from the encounter.

"DAMMIT!" Nathan yelled as he slammed his hand on the back of the door. "I've got to call Drew."

As he reached for his cell phone, Sabrina stopped him and turned him toward her. "Nathan, please talk to me. What is going on? Why is she here?"

Frustrated, Nathan said, "My guess would be to make my life a living hell – again." When Sabrina was about to ask more questions, he pleaded, "It's a long story. One I promise I will tell you, but I need to call Drew." When Sabrina shook her head as if to say okay, Nathan moved away from her and frantically dialed Drew's number.

"Drew, Megan's here… Bennett and Cole… She didn't say, but she has something up her sleeve – always does…Thanks man. See you soon."

After Nathan hung up the phone, he turned toward his wife and told her the truth about why he left New York.

* * *

The next morning, Patrick had just gotten to the hospital after dropping Emma off with Mac and Felicia when his phone rang. He reached for it and was surprised to see Nathan's number on the screen.

"Nathan?"

"Patrick, can you meet me? It's about Sabrina. It's important."

"When?"

"Your house in ten?"

Patrick hung up and hightailed it home after seeing Sabrina and Liz chatting at the nurses' station. If Sabrina was fine, what did Nathan need to see him about?

Nathan arrived at the house the same time Patrick did. After they went inside and closed the door, Nathan, who looked like hell, blurted, "I need your help to protect Sabrina."

"Why? What's going on?"

Patrick watched Nathan pace as he said, "Long story short, my ex is in town and she makes your ex, Britt, seem like Mary Poppins. I need you to help me keep her away from Sabrina."

Patrick knew all along that Nathan wasn't what he was cracked up to be, but he felt little satisfaction in being right when the guy's secrets put Sabrina in danger. Forcing himself to remain calm, he asked, "That bad, huh? She's not your crazy ex-girlfriend from college is she?"

Nathan, confused, stopped pacing and said gravely, "No, Patrick, she isn't crazy. That's what makes her so dangerous."

"What does she want, Nathan?" he asked, barely containing his temper.

"I don't know, but whatever it is isn't good. Look, Patrick, I have no right to ask for your help, but I'm hoping you can put our issues aside and help me keep an eye on Sabrina when she's at the hospital. She is happy – and I want her to stay that way."

Patrick knew that if Sabrina had been in danger when they were still together and Carlos was in town, he would have hated asking Carlos to help him, but he would have done it no matter how much it killed him. Sabrina was all that mattered. So, he said, "Alright, Nathan, I'll help you. But, I can't do it blindly so you're going to have to tell me what I'm up against."

Nathan looked at Patrick, who stood with his arms crossed waiting not-so-patiently for an explanation. Nathan didn't want to spill his guts about the past he'd been working hard to forget, but he had to. Sabrina was the only thing that mattered and Patrick couldn't help him keep her safe without all of the information. Nathan never claimed to be a saint and he knew that Patrick wasn't one either.

_Meanwhile at GH…_

"What seems to be the trouble, Ms. Rivers?" Sabrina asked as she entered the exam room.

"Hello, Sabrina. We meet again."

Recognizing the voice, Sabrina looked up from the chart in her hands and saw Megan standing near the gurney holding an adorable little girl a few months old. Megan was nearly as tall as Nathan and was the complete opposite of her: tall, blonde and elegant. Staring at the baby and dreading the answer she already knew was coming, Sabrina heard Megan say, "This would be your stepdaughter, North."

Knowing the woman was trying to get a rise out of her, Sabrina forced herself to remain calm as she asked, "Nathan doesn't know, does he?"

"No. And now you've gone and spoiled my surprise." Focusing her attention on the baby, she added, "Hasn't she Nori?"

As Sabrina was locked in a stare-down with Megan, the door opened and Robin came in. Not immediately catching onto the tension in the room, she cheerily said, "Oh, hi, Sabrina, I didn't know you were in here. I'm on rotation today and..."

"Robin, this is Megan Rivers, Nate's ex, and, apparently, his secret daughter, North." Sabrina said icily, cutting her off.

As Robin put two and two together, she blurted, "North West? You're kidding right?"

"No, I am not," Megan retorted. "And my daughter needs medical attention."

Sabrina helped Robin examine the baby. As she did so, she thought back to her conversation with Nathan last night. She had been upset and angry that Nathan had kept such a large part of his life secret from her, but she now understood why he was so devoted to the Clay case when he first came to town. It took a lot of self-control for her to be professional to Megan when she wanted to deck her for what she had done to her husband. The woman was downright Machiavellian, and, considering she'd kept Nathan's child from him, there was no telling what Megan had in store for them.

Robin determined that Nori had an ear infection, so she prescribed drops and sent Megan on her way. Afterward, she said, "Ok. She's gone, so you can talk. What is going on, Sabrina?"

Sabrina filled her in on what went down in New York and earlier in the exam room. After a moment of silence, Robin said warningly, "Sabrina, I have a bad feeling about that woman. She reminds me of Lisa Niles, but, different, somehow, more calculating and less crazy."

Confused, Sabrina asked, "Who's Lisa Niles?"

When Robin was surprised by her question, Sabrina realized that Patrick hadn't been much more forthcoming about his past than Nathan was. She just didn't know why it bothered her so much.


	25. Chapter 25

Megan despised piers, she thought as she stared out at the filthy water. They were dank and disgusting and she usually ended up throwing away whatever clothes and shoes she wore afterward because she couldn't get the smell out. Unfortunately, they were a necessary evil in her line of work and a woman didn't get to where she was today by avoiding the unpleasantries. When she heard footsteps behind her, her hand automatically reached for the Daringer in her stylish Coach clutch as a precaution.

"There's my favorite 'reporter'." When Megan heard the familiar voice, she released the gun, closed the clutch and turned around.

"Hello, Julian. It's been a while. It is Julian and not Derek, right?"

"Yes, it is. The truth came out nearly a year ago thanks to Corinthos," he remarked angrily.

"Ah, I see." Megan said, as understanding dawned. "How's Ava?"

"She's Ava." Julian said with a smirk. "She continues to boink Sonny's son, Morgan, as her own personal brand of torture for Corinthos."

Megan chuckled. "A woman after my own heart..."

"What heart? Last I knew, you didn't have one. Motherhood hasn't changed you, has it?"

"No," Megan said emphatically. "The brat is with the nanny most of the time. She is a means to an end, nothing more."

"You always were a woman of vision."

"Yes, I am. Vision… and power. And, thanks to you, I now have both."

"The City operation is running smoothly, I presume." Julian asked in an all business tone.

"As smoothly as ever. " Megan boasted proudly. "How could it not with a population desperate for money and power and people like us willing to give it to them? For a price, of course."

"Of course." Julian echoed. "Revenue has grown exponentially under your watch. I'm very pleased."

"Thank you. I will be expecting a bonus in line with growth," Megan declared unabashedly.

"And you will get it." Julian agreed. "You will get an even bigger one if you have the information I've been waiting for."

"I'm still working on it. I have two new cops who are now more than willing to assist me in retrieving it." Megan smiled like a cat with cream. "And, I didn't even have to persuade them with my usual methods. For them, it's personal."

"Ah, I see. Speaking of cops and personal, how is our mutual friend?"

"He was none too happy to see me. He is still very angry." After a dramatic pause, she continued, "And we both know that anger is a motivator like none other."

"So it is, my dear. So it is. Thankfully, after the sage advice of his goody-goody wife, he dropped the matter."

"_He did?_" Megan was surprised that he would drop it. When Nathan left New York, he was angrier than she'd ever seen him and more determined than ever to solve the Clay case.

"If he'd waited any longer, I would have had to take matters into my own hands." Megan, who'd worked hard to leave her emotions out of her expressions, must've slipped because Julian added, "You know how it works, Megan. He's a liability."

"Yes, I know. But then my months of hell would have been for naught." She looked at Julian with a deadly glare and said, "And you know how much I dislike doing things for nothing."

"Well, then you should be thankful that he was once again blinded by the love of a beautiful woman. "

Julian was right. Nathan was an astute cop who was too smart for his own good, but the man was blind when it came to women and she'd preyed on his weakness to the very end. He thought she was a reporter who'd callously used him to get information on his cases for her stories, but he didn't know the half of it. She was just that good of an actress.

When Julian ordered her to get close to Nathan to further his agenda, she did so and was rewarded handsomely for her efforts and loyalty. Now, she was running the largest Jerome territory all on her own and using her cover as a well-known crime reporter (thanks to her Pulitzer story on the high-profile botched murder case Nathan unwittingly spoon-fed her) to gain entrance into events and meetings with high rollers the Jeromes could only have dreamt about before. Under her watch, the territory and its connections expanded at an unbelievable rate, putting Julian and Ava, her inspiration, in her debt. The only true thing about her liaison with Nathan, and the reason she lost her cool when Julian mentioned eliminating him, was the sex. The man was _ah-maz-ing_ in bed; and, when they were together, his undivided attention made her forget for those few hours (yes, hours) that their entire relationship was a lie.

Coming out of her reverie, Megan told Julian about her meeting with Sabrina at the hospital. For a goody-goody, the woman had steel in her veins in facing her down the way she did. Even though that Robin person came in and ruined things, Megan had accomplished her goal. Little Miss would run home and tell her hubby all about his long-lost daughter, which would successfully distract him from the real reason Megan was in town. She disliked being away from the city, but she needed to be in Port Charles (where she knew Nathan was the whole time thanks to Julian) in order to implement the next phase of their plan, which included unloading the brat. If Nathan was too busy engaging with her in a custody battle for their daughter, he wouldn't finish putting the pieces together and realize that his botched homicide, the Clay case and the Jerome's were all interconnected. And, once Bennett and Cole came through with the evidence she required for Julian, all hell would finally break loose.

As Megan walked away from their meeting, she was on a high over her years of preparation finally paying off; but, she crashed as Julian stopped her with a warning. "Oh, Megan," he said, casually (too casually), "be sure to let me know as soon as you have the evidence I need to take Corinthos down once and for all. Without that evidence, _none_ of what you've done matters. I'd hate for you to disappoint me."

Understanding Julian's undertones, Megan swallowed convulsively, nodded and continued walking, vowing to succeed no matter what the cost.


End file.
